First Blog Post/ "Damn It!"

It's one of the dirtiest words I know. It's never funny or bold. It doesn't accidentally slip out when a person stubs a toe or when flashing red lights appear in the rearview mirror. I haven't heard it said by anyone just because he's angry or he thinks it's cool. Even slang speak won't go there. "Cancer" is a word nobody wants to say. It's a word nobody wants to hear.

Yet, we do.

Though I have been fortunate with my own health thus far, the obscenity of its presence is no stranger to my family.

Please excuse the use of foul language as I babystep into the world of public writing. There's a reason I'm toddling in on my weakest foot- I'm standing on my "cans".

I am blessed that I can look across the dinner table and see my husband. I can pick up the phone and call his mother, my father or my mother. I can read beautiful testimonies made by people I don't even know and be inspired. I can also remember those I love, those who have suffered, and know their days of pain are over.

The tears I've shed did not drown me, nor will they ever dry. Fate's gifts help me float, and I know I am far from alone. Drifting in a sea of trust, we rely on the flow of mercy that God promises.

When caught in the raging current, cling to the twigs of strength that bond us together- hope, love, faith. Take comfort in knowing mercy is coming. Twig by twig, cancer be damned.

Thanks for reading! Please check back tomorrow for details in the Poetry and Motion contest.

Peace to you,

Ruthy