Feb
04
Me, Bill and Magi
Oct
19
There are no mountains.
That’s the first thing I notice around here at The Mountain Workshops, the absence of mountains.
Hills, sure. Ridges, you bet. One could even argue there are crags, escarpments or even bluffs. But mountain may be pushing it a bit. Not that I’m one to talk. Coming from the decidedly flat suburbs of Detroit, our biggest “mountains” are converted garbage dumps that developers covered with dirt and ski lifts then waited for snow.
But the term Mountain Workshops adds a sense of majesty, purple and above fruited plains. That sort of thing.
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Sep
13
Imagine being in a room where everyone has had the same shared experience. Some had it decades ago, a few had it less than a year ago like you. Now imagine a whole conference — a symposium if you will — where room after room of people spoke your language, knew what you’ve gone through and showed you, simply by being there, that normal life continues on.
That’s exactly what the past four days presented me with. Celebrating a Second Chance at Life sponsored by bmtinfonet.org threw so much positive energy my way, I didn’t even notice I was sleep deprived and running on Atlanta’s fuel, Coca-Cola. Meeting person after person who dealt with cancer then a bone marrow transplant was one of the best experiences I’ve had over the past year.
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Apr
12
There seems to be some sort of internal threshold that I’ve crossed. Read More
Apr
08
There’s certainly no dearth of beauty out here in the Pacific Northwest.Read More
Apr
06
For our friends vacationing in Florida or Mexico or even Des Moines, we imagine the mercury is higher. But blue sky and rain tag-team each other all day, waiting scant minutes between showers and soaking sunshine. We’re told some here even feel responsible for the weather, one embracing the wetness so much that she feels better in Portland than back home in LA. The moisture encourages roofs to be overrun in moss, yet beautiful daffodils, forsythia and cherry blossoms already are out and shining. Those in Michigan still lag within the safety of their buds.
Jun
15
Chapter 1: The L-Word
Chapter 2: Having Fun With Cancer
Chapter 4 (today’s post):Departure Terminal
The parking lot’s mostly empty at our departure terminal, but the sun still hasn’t risen and activity is on hold for now. Most of the shift workers have completed their important duties and are just in monitoring mode, flipping through some magazines, making final notes in their endless computer ledgers, waiting.
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Jun
08