I am alive! I am well! I am blessed! This is how I feel today and this is how I should feel every day. Just the fact that I am still alive after facing my bout with cancer 10 years ago is enough to make each day a grand day indeed! On those days when I struggle, and I do struggle, that is what I need to focus on so I can remain positive. I am a child of God and He cares for my daily needs. I matter to the one who created the universe. Isn’t that the greatest blessing of all? My two grown sons and their spouses are healthy and well, just wish they lived a little closer but they are happy. My husband loves and protects me. I live in a beautiful home in a quiet neighborhood. I’m retired so I don’t have the stress of work any longer plus it gives me time to write. Yes, blessed and at peace. What a gift!

Oh, did I mention my sweet granddaughters? Now that’s a blessing that always makes me smile. Plus, I have another grandchild waiting to make his appearance in January of 2021! In this season of Thanksgiving, take time to think about all the things that make you truly blessed. I bet you’ll be surprised at how many things you can add to your list. You see when you count your blessings, they just never seem to stop.

P. S. I am blessed to know each of you and thankful that you read my blog. Happy Thanksgiving everyone!

Blessings, Cindy J

I think I’ve always known that the little things matter. When I was working in my first public job as a cashier at McDonalds, my boss told me to pay attention to details and be nice to every customer. He said if I excelled at this part time job, people would notice and better things would come. I embraced that philosophy in my professional life and always tried to make sure I took care of the little things; even when no one else paid attention. What I’ve learned though is that other people really are watching.

I tried to use that same philosophy in raising my boys. A little note of encouragement, an extra treat for hard work, cooking their favorite food at a meal, sitting down to play a game after dinner and yes, editing papers when needed. These little things matter. A lot!

My question for myself today is, do I pay the same attention to the little things when it comes to God? Does my Christian walk show they matter? Do I notice when He sends someone my way that needs my time or resources? Do I share the hardships I’ve been through with others who are going through the same thing? In reality, I think we can all ask ourselves these questions. Someone may be watching and waiting. They may need that little thing in their life that only you can give them. The next time you think that the little things don’t matter just remember, they DO!

Blessings, Cindy J

While shopping in a small coastal town the other day, I kept seeing all these signs like you find in touristy gift shops that listed various attributes as super powers. We all know that only super heroes have super powers, right? Spiderman does his web thing; Batman is the caped crusader and Superman has tremendous strength. Their goal, to use their special powers for the common good of mankind. Those signs got me to thinking though, do I have a super power? And I decided that I do, yes indeed I do.

Anyone who has ever given birth to a child knows that motherhood is a super power. Who else besides a Mom would go through nine months of carrying a baby, then labor and invest all that time and love in molding a person to give to the world? I have two grown self-sufficient sons to prove it! Yep, I’m pretty proud of that super power.

As a retired educator, I can definitely say that teaching is a super power! It takes a desire to want to be around students all day long, deal with the constraints of education these days and plan engaging lessons to help children learn. Every educator is a super hero in my book.

One super power I thank God for every day is that of being a cancer survivor and thriver. If you’ve been through cancer treatment and come out on the other side, that makes you a super hero. If you’re going through cancer treatment right now, you’re using all your super powers to get through this ordeal. One result of being a survivor is that I have become a writer and am sharing my thoughts with each of you. You see, super powers build on each other.

My very best super power is that of being a Christ follower. I mean the Bible says, “I can do ALL things through Christ who gives me strength”. He is the greatest super hero of all time and I’m grateful I belong to Him. The next time you start to think that you have nothing to contribute just remember, each of us has a super power. Use it for the good of mankind.

Blessings, Cindy J

That’s a pretty appropriate question for this time of the year. Buses are finally going to get back on the road and school will start to return to a new normal schedule. I ask though, have you ever really thought about who’s driving the bus? I can tell you from my experience as an educator, a good bus driver is important. That bus ride to school can set a kid’s tone for the day. If an experienced, compassionate driver is not driving, then chaos breaks out. If something happens on the bus, the rest of the day is usually not a great one for that student. A good bus driver knows their students and can anticipate problems many times before they arise.

We all need guidance from time to time and it’s important to know who’s driving our bus! Do we pay attention to who we let sit in the driver’s seat or do we just let anyone influence our decisions? For those of us who have had to make life changing decisions about our health, it’s important to know that a competent physician is driving that bus. Actually, for just about any major decision we need to make sure that we have someone capable guiding us to make the right choice. I mean, would you buy a car from someone who doesn’t know anything about cars?

Over the years, there have been times when I let someone drive my bus who was not qualified and I ended up making decisions that were not right for me. I’m learning what I really knew all along, that God needs to be the primary bus driver and that He will send in the right driver at the right time. So I leave you with this thought today, who’s driving your bus?

Blessings, Cindy J

I can’t tell you how many times I used to say to my boys when they were younger, “Now, hold my hand and do not let go.” It was my way of protecting them from the dangers of the world. Plus, I just liked having them place their little hand in mine. My youngest in particular had a habit of darting ahead and getting into trouble so I was always careful to hold firmly onto his hand!  When couples first start dating, they always hold each other’s hands as they walk along. It’s their way of sharing the newness of their relationship. When we meet someone for the first time, many times we shake hands with them. When you’re sad and a friend reaches over and puts their hand on yours, it’s comforting. Holding hands is important to us for many reasons; it’s how we stay connected to one another

In these times of COVID-19, we are discouraged from touching hands and we’ve lost that important connection. Elbow bumps just aren’t the same as having that physical contact with one another. I will be glad for the day when I can look at someone and say, “Hold my hand”. It’s much easier to navigate this world when we hold onto each other. Plus, it’s just a whole lot better with someone by your side. Hang on tight and don’t let go.

Blessings, Cindy J

My front porch is home to many, many spiders. I’m not sure why they like my porch so much, but they do! I can knock down their webs in the morning and by evening they’ve built them back again. They are persistent little creatures. I guess I have to admit that I do admire their tenacity as well as their handiwork. I often wonder how something so small can create such an intricate work of art.

One of my favorite webs is created by the black and yellow garden spider. Their web has the most unique crisscross pattern and when it is covered in the morning dew, well it is simply awe inspiring. Again I ask, how in the world do they know exactly how to weave that particular pattern? The answer is that it is other worldly. In short, it’s a God thing. It’s the way He created them to be in nature.

We can learn a lot from spiders. Obviously, they don’t give up easily and they make no apologies for building the webs that help them survive. Their web after all is how they snag their meals!  If we as humans had to work that hard to survive, I wonder how we would fare? Yet there are times when we do feel unsure of how we are going to make it to the next day. That’s when our inner strength and courage kick in. For me, that’s a strength that comes from my faith.

So, be like a spider. Work hard. Don’t give up when someone or something tears down your web. Press forward.  Create a thing of beauty with your life regardless of the odds you face. Get out there and build your web anyway.

Blessings, Cindy J

When my boys were younger, we used to spend a week at the beach every summer with family. In fact, any time we could sneak away for a day at the beach was a special treat. One of their favorite things to do was gather seashells in their sand buckets. When I was in our storage building the other day, I found one of those old sand buckets and it was full of guess what; seashells! I started thinking about those shells in that bucket and what a bucket full of memories it contains.

Each one of those shells was lovingly chosen by one of my sons for some reason. There was always a “look at this one, Mom. It’s so big! Or isn’t this one a pretty color?” My youngest son always made us laugh because he used to call them “she shells”. Every single one of those shells is a memory of a day full of adventures. For me now, it is a memory of a mother-son bond we once shared. Now my sons are creating bonds with their wives, daughters and future children. The mama bond though remains forever in my heart.

Just like that bucket of seashells was collected, I encourage you to collect and make precious memories with the people you love. Those memories and the bonds of love you share will always be a part of what makes you the unique person you are. Now, get out your bucket, take along your favorite people and find some shells!

Blessings, Cindy J

In reading things that I write, you may often hear me say that I love the beach because, well I LOVE THE BEACH! It is my happy place. It is where I can take a good book, sit in my chair, put my toes in the sand, feel a cool breeze and gaze out at God’s beautiful ocean. A pretty extensive list but it really doesn’t get much better than that for me unless I’m with family.  While reading a devotional in Praying Through Cancer: Set Your Heart Free from Fear by Susan Sorensen and Laura Geist, the tip for the day was to find a symbol that reminds you of hope. I started thinking about what kind of symbol I could have that would remind me of the journey I have taken since being diagnosed with cancer. Of course, I knew it had to be something related to the beach because that is my place of refuge and peace. The symbol I chose was sea glass.

You might think the obvious choice would be a sea shell because they are everywhere at the beach and each one is different. Although I do love a beautiful shell, I really wanted something to represent my struggle. Sea glass goes into the ocean as an ugly, jagged piece of broken glass. It is through the process of being tossed and churned through the waves and scrapping along the sand in the bottom of the ocean that it begins to smooth out and develop its own unique character. It’s the struggle that makes it so beautiful.

Sea glass is a rare find when you’re on the beach and just like a sea shell, each piece is unique. It comes in all different sizes and colors based on what it looked like before it entered the ocean. Cancer is much like sea glass. It comes in many types and can have many different outcomes but for those who survive the struggle, it is life altering. Just as many of life’s’ struggles can be. I feel I am now a piece of sea glass made beautiful on the inside by all the turmoil of cancer. It gives me hope for the future. If you’ve had cancer, I pray you find your symbol of hope, too.

Blessings, Cindy J

I had heard stories about Scott and what a great guy he was long before I ever met him. It wasn’t until both of us had been diagnosed with cancer that we actually met face to face.

Scott taught me how to live with dignity while enduring this disease and to get the most out of every minute life has to offer. He used to say, “either way I win.” If God allows me to stay here on Earth, then I get to spend more time with my family. If I don’t, then I get to be in heaven. Like he said, it was indeed a Win-Win situation.

After a long, hard fight, Scott died on Father’s Day 2010. He promised his family that somehow, he would let them know that he was okay and in a better place. Right after he died, a beautiful rainbow appeared in the sky and they all knew it was Scott saying, “I’m here in heaven and I’m at peace.” His family and friends continue to receive what Scott used to call “God winks” in the form of rainbows. It brings them comfort to know that he did indeed win.

I’d like to leave you with the prayer Scott shared with me as a help in dealing with my cancer diagnosis…

“Father, you’re the giver of days. Grant in mercy an extension for me. Again I ask – Lord may it be? I know your power. Stop this cancer, if you with your purpose for my life will to make that your pleasure. Amen.”

Rainbows are full of promises and each time I see one, I think of Scott and the prayer he had for me. I want to make Scott proud and pray that he sees I am faithfully trying to fulfill the purpose God has for my life. I promise.

Blessings, Cindy J