I was never guaranteed anything in this world.
I did not realize that until life taught me otherwise.
My life has gone in directions I never dreamed possible.
Directions I wanted and some I never wanted.
Some were so wonderful.
Some were so painful.
All of them made me a better and sometimes sadder person.
Ordinary Plans
I think about my most recent plans.
Host a dinner party at my house.
Plan a trip to Europe for the fall.
Improve my French language skills.
Meet with my CPA, clean out closets, plant flowers and vegetables.
Go to church, go to P.E.O. meetings, attend my book club luncheons.
Anxious Uncertainty
It’s been 22 days since my daughter-in-law was diagnosed with stage 4 lung and brain cancer. When My Head is on Fire
I have flown across the country from Oregon to Alabama to be with them
There have been tests, procedures, grimaces, tears.
Now we live with anxiety. Uncertainty.
Our plans are on hold-forever transformed by this tragedy.
Now What
We don’t understand.
We can barely fathom this cruel situation.
We try to think clearly.
We try not to worry. We try not to “go there”.
We hug sweet Mabel. This innocent baby is our salvation. Coach Mabel’s Tip for Today
We talk confidently and bravely about new treatments,
We listen to success stories of people who beat a “Stage 4” diagnosis.
We retell and cling to these stories with a fervor and passion of a person who has just found religion.
We pray, we promise, we plead for a happy outcome.
Life is Short
Life is Short
Find What Makes You Happy and
Go There
Such a cliche but so true.
They did “go there” traveling and enjoying life.
They both finished advanced degrees.
They found good jobs.
They bought a house.
They had a baby.
They found what made them happy.
Lori Greer in Portland 
Great, great Lorigreer and agree totally with your wonderful words and I loved the picture and the quote. Awesome post.
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Life has a way – a distinct knack even – of sending you those But WHY??? moments… many of which have no clear or apparent (at the time) answers.
I’ve been doing a little basic philosophising lately and realised something. Every single thing can be viewed in at least two (or more) different ways – usually opposing ones. (A positive view or a negative one (or a neutral one). In those Why? moments it is all to easy to only see the negative view, harder to come at it from a positive perspective yet both are always there to choose from).
Take something simple like an arrow in flight: You COULD be watching it in complete safety from the rear side of it’s trajectory and be seeing the fletches as the closest part of the arrow to you rapidly disappearing into the distance. Or you could be standing opposite and see the pointy end as closest to you and become increasingly concerned the closer it got to your head; or, you could be watching it’s graceful arc from a side on view and appreciate the skill of the archer at one point and the precision he must have applied to it as it hits the bulls eye at another point.
We rarely get to be the archer in control of the arrow or have an influence on the arrow’s path and target but we usually can choose which view we take of those arrows and be able to move ourself some so that we do not get a life altering (ending perhaps) view when they hit their target. The place you are in when you view a thing can have a major effect on how it affects you personally.
Knowing there are two opposing ways to view a thing is the easy bit – being able to move from one to the other takes a little more practice and skill/effort than i have philosophically put into it so far!
Still sending prayer for you all in Alabama.
love.
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Love the pic and quote. I’m praying for you and your family. Just clicked on your links, and love the Mabel post! She’s adorable and I’m sure getting lots of hugs and love. Big hugs to you Lori xxx
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May everything still turn out well and this illness though serious, turns out to be nothing more than a blip in all your lives. Mabel is getting the attention she needs from a grandma she might under normal circumstances have seen little of. She’s the winner here and enjoying it.
xxx Massive Hugs Lori xxx
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Still sending up prayers on behalf of all of you…
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Lori I can only affirm what you have written is the absolute truth of my own journey. The valleys have been deep and unexpected yet I KNOW the richness also of what can come about when LOVE triumphs and characters are sharpened. Strength and blessing to you in this journey.
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Thinking of you all.
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Prayers to you and your family
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I am still saying prayers for your family.
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