Cornucopia: Silver Lining
Silver Lining
by Kate Chamberlin
My mastectomy surgery and radiation therapy are behind me, although the under-lying beat of my dance with cancer continues. The silver lining of my breast cancer has burst into a bright, sunny day. As I smell the roses and Hosta Lilies; taste the fresh parsley and chive from my herb garden; and feel the galloping horse-tail clouds scud across the Franciscan azure sky, whisking down to tousle my curly locks. My days are busier than ever.
Due to the ‘shelter in place’ restrictions posed by the insipid Covid-19 Virus pandemic, many meetings are virtual via the computer and telephone. I have virtually toured the Inside and outside of Mt. Rushmore, learned how the first American Flag was made and preserved, explored several sections of the Smithsonian Institute, attended the inter-national Continental Congress of the Daughters of the American Revolution, participated in many interesting and informational focus sessions of the American Council of the Blind’s Inter-national Convention, and met wonderful people via the Breast Cancer Coalition of Rochester at the Brown Bag Friday meetings, and Wednesday night seminars.
These virtual meetings have been great, but, more and more venues are opening up. Soon, I’ll need to decide which meetings I want to attend or not. The hassle of what to wear, what adaptive equipment I’ll need to take to enable me to fully participate, and find a driver to take me. I’m hoping some of the meetings will continue to be virtual. It is so much easier to sit in my study and dial in to the meeting, not to mention safer for my health.
My immune system is still compromised by the cancer and radiation, so, I’m cautiously starting face-to-face meetings slowly and with my family. On Saturday, August 15, our daughter and 8-1/2 year old grandson came over to cook dinner in honor of our 50th Wedding Anniversary. In the early evening, another grandson brought his new puppy, Rocky Blue, in to meet us. It wasn’t a huge party for our Golden Anniversary, but it was very meaningful in so many ways, so let the beat go on in this beautiful silver lining of life.