Finding Balance

Nanci's cairn

Just a year ago I posted a Thank You Note to the Big C on my Art & Inspiration Blog.
It was also a kind of good riddance closure kind of thing. Not happening. Many of you know that two months later I learned that I had breast cancer again. Apparently many of my life lessons needed to be revisted.

Earlier this month the Helen F. Graham Cancer Center hosted their First Day of Hope. They offered a day of nteresting speakers, info and workshops. One workshop in particular resonated with me. It was cairn building using small river stones. The intention was to help us identify the various roles we take on in our lives and finding the right balance for optimum health.

Here was the process:
1. Choose any 5 stones from a large selection on the table in front of you. (this was done before knowing step #2.
2. Assign a role to each of the stones that you have chosen.  If you have more than 5 pick your top 5. Already that was a good way to limit how much we each take on!
3. Now try to balance them on top of each other.
4. If one of them just doesn't work- take it away. (stone for "community work" didn't fit)
5. If any of the stones needs to be switched out, trade it for another.
(VERY interesting- the stone I chose for artist was too big and had to be switched)

This photo was not the arrangement I came home with.  I had put the biggest stone on the bottom which was my "mother" stone.  I shared this story with a healer I am working with and she said "You have to feed the mother (a.k.a. self) first" which interestingly enough was the way my boys stacked them when they gave it a try. They intuitively knew that!

And now my stack is balanced with putting self/healing first. As we change and our lives change so will our stones. But for now this is the way it is and I am ok with that.

Hope you find balance in your life this holiday season!

Easing a Child's Burden at a Scary Time

Halloween aside, it's often scary for children and their families any time of year when they hear the word cancer.  

"Mom really likes it when I draw her butterflies!
She says they remind her of our butterfly kisses,..."
from Butterfly Kisses and Wishes on Wings: When someone you love has cancer... a hopeful, helpful book for kids

" Nanci, 

     I met you as I was passing through the Breast Cancer Event area at (Helen F.) Graham 

Center. You gave me a book and I brought it home and read it that evening. I was impressed with your beautiful illustrations and the way the story so wonderfully covered every aspect of a child's experience with Breast cancer at home... I ordered 2 more. One for a friend and one for the  Odessa library. It's my way helping in some way to ease a child's burden at such a scary time..."

                   Dolores Sebastian

Thank you Dolores for being a part of our Gift- it- Forward program and sharing our book with others. 

Sending you Wishes on Wings...