There are moments in everyone's life that is a turning point...a moment that changes your outlook, your focus, your attitude, your passions.
I had one of those moments 2 weeks ago.
I boarded an airplane and flew from Nashville
to California.
I went for a purpose, but I came back with a passion.
It started at the tour of the offices of the
Pancreatic Cancer Action Network, listening to its founder talk about how she lost her mother and just couldn't get over it. Even though her efforts couldn't help her mother, she continues to fight to "advance research, support patients, and create hope" in an area of science that gives little hope with a diagnose of pancreatic cancer.
I thought about what she said as I was looking at my pictures taken during my flight.
I noticed as I flew over miles and miles of desert and flat lands, that as we approached these mountains, a city was built right up against the base of the mountains. The settlers had gone as far as they could go and had no desire to go further, to climb those mountains that seemed impassible. They settled and went on with their lives.
But others forged on, taking on those formidable mountains and not letting them stop their efforts to find something better. And they did.
When my husband was diagnosed with colon cancer, he felt defeated because just a month earlier, he had buried his father after suffering with lung cancer. He was ready to shave his head that first day at the doctor's office because he didn't want to go through the gradual loss of hair during chemo. He and his mother saw any diagnose of cancer as a death sentence and they were ready to give up before they even began to fight.
But I wasn't. I got very stern with them and won't allow any negative thoughts or doubts to come into our home. It made my mother-in-law mad a few times that I won't allow the pity parties that a cancer diagnose can bring.
That was 8 years ago and my husband is still cancer free!
Like the founder of PanCan.org, I couldn't do anything for my mother when she was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer, but, as one speaker said, "I'm still here and I can fight." So...over the mountains I go, seeking hope where others have just settled and gone on with their lives. Forging on into new adventures, scary and joyous at the same time.
In doing that, I have to change some of my focus, streamline some things to get the most out of my time. Piney's Needle isn't going away, however I'll be doing mostly custom jobs for the next few months, hand piecing and hand quilting custom quilts. I'll be posting only on one blog now, previously my "devotional" style blog, once called HolyCamp. It has a new name and workup,
A Purple Cloth. You can read about that
HERE. Some of you may already been following that blog, thank you if you are, if not, please consider it.
I just wanted those of you who have supported me here to know what was going on as I mix "purple" with my sewing and quilting. I have a new passion and a new purpose and it's pancreatic cancer awareness.
