There are many celebratory songs that can make us smile and feel grateful for where we are now in life. For me, one of the most popular may be Celebrate good times come on! Let’s celebrate We hear that song at most weddings. For my friend, Laurie, celebrating ten years of being cancer free, I thought of Cyndi Lauper’s Time after Time…

if you’re lost you can look–and you will find me
time after time
if you fall I will catch you–I’ll be waiting…time after time 

Laurie had a roomful of people who would “catch ” her Friday morning during a surprise birthday party before school. Honoring her struggle with cancer and celebrating life was truly a miracle and cause for celebration. Laurie found out she had inflammatory breast cancer on her thirtieth birthday; it was stage 3B and she only had a four percent survival rate.

Laurie had mentioned the day of her “cancerversary” how she had been blessed with two families, one at home and one at work. This is so true; we will always have the support of our families, and if you are so lucky, those friendly faces at work you see everyday become your family too.

Laurie said in a letter to her school family, “I hope you will take this opportunity to count YOUR blessings. Even if you are going through a difficult time this season, look closer at how God is working in your life. I don’t know why He chose to allow me to survive, nor do I know if the cancer will return, but I know I will continue to give Him my praise.”

This is the season for us to celebrate life and its many blessings. Laurie is an inspiration and a reminder to honor those true values in life, our family, friends, and our relationship with God.

Winston Churchill said, “Attitude is a little thing that makes a big difference.”There are a million things to feel good about in a day. So much of the fight with cancer is about attitude. Something I have always admired about Laurie is her willingness to do for others. It’s people like her that make the world a better place.

There are times when words can’t describe feelings as well as art can. Sometimes art can move us in ways that we didn’t know were possible to feel; art can be a tap into our emotions. I remember last year seeing a dance piece on So You Think You Can Dance about a woman facing breast cancer. This piece expresses the message of hope, frustration, anguish, and love; it is one of the most moving dance performances ever! It’s impossible not to feel a million emotions all at once watching this beautiful dance.

The art of living is like a dance that may not have been choreographed; we are all dancers! There are lines in Kate Bush’s Woman’s Work like, “Pray God you can cope” and “Just make it go away” that resonate with the emotions experienced by those dealing with cancer. At the end of this dance, you see the person who loves her catch and carry her; that’s what friends and family do! Then she looks up to the sky and you know she has a relationship with God. There’s a passage that starts, Don’t worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need and thank him for all he has done. Thank you God for Laurie; she is a gift to so many!