Small Private Celebrations

Today, a friends little 2-year old boy underwent surgery for a lump that was found by his mother on his shoulder. The family (and friends) have been riding a roller coaster of emotions for the past two weeks.  When I think of that analogy, I always wonder what it means. Is it because the experience is so difficult, it is like trudging up hill so steep it seems unsurmountable? OR is it because your feelings rush down on you so fast and so furious that you feel like you are going to hit the ground in a horrendous crash?? Oh, well, I guess that doesn't matter. It could be either, it could be both.

Surgery, of any kind, is a serious event. I am not trying to minimalize it but I can't believe there weren't celebrations (albeit, silent maybe) the night before his surgery.  Because a host of other tests were done including bone scans, cat scans, MRIs were read the day before. They revealed the mass was localized and had not spread.

Not that they all don't have a long road to hoe with chemo and radiation, but it all has to be easier to take knowing that there is a light at the end of the tunnel. A very real possibility of a life free of cancer.

A celebration in the middle of a taxing, tense situation, no matter how small or private, can help the psyche, soul and mind.

Happy Birthday, Elvis

Today would have been Elvis Presly's 76th birthday. On his 11th birthday, his mama bought him a gift from the local hardware store. It wasn't the most newly released hunting rifle, a new bike or a train set. She bought him a $6.95 guitar. With this gift, she started an unforgettably awesome life, not only for her baby boy, but also for the United States, the world, and who know, maybe even, the universe and beyond.

What if Elvis had gotten that bike he wanted for his birthday way back in 1946? Would he have eventually found his way to music? If you believe in fate, you would say yes.

Happy Birthday, Elvis, where ever you are.