A Halloween Treat?

Today I had my mammogram. I'm not a doctor, but I've seen an oodles of mammograms in the last two years -- this one looked beautiful! I'll not officially celebrate until I read the radiologist's report, but I'm pretty comfortable that the report will come back normal. Praise God!

One afterthought -- as I was waiting for the digital image of my mammogram to come up on the computer today, I wondered for a split second how I would react if I saw something that didn't look healthy/normal? I would have fallen apart right then and there, I'm sure. Lesson learned ===> the next time I go in for a mammogram, I'll not ask to see the image. I'm thankful for the (unofficial) results of today, but I would not have been prepared to handle anything but good news in that moment. Please don't follow my reckless example, ladies! (But do get your mammograms!!)

Have you noticed that the background color of my blog has changed? I had it pink in October for Breast Cancer Awareness Month (pink is not my color; I'm glad the month has come and gone!). Now, for today, the background color is orange for Halloween.

I've been thinking about Halloween, and some regrets/wishes that I have:

• I regret that I took Halloween so seriously (anti-Christian and all that) and didn't have more fun with the holiday. Don't get me wrong -- my Christian belief is first and foremost in my life -- but I believe it is possible to have fun with Halloween and not get caught up in the darkness of it all.
  
• I wish, especially when the kids were younger, that I had taken more time to create costumes, paint faces and enjoy the holiday. Halloween always felt like something that "had to be done," and not something that I enjoyed. My loss, I can accept that. But, have I taught my kids that mindset?
  
• I wish we were the family who stopped and smelled the roses more often. Halloween would be one great time to do that. "Rose smelling" is something I want to work on more for our family. It will have to wait until my treatment is finished (and my energy is back), but I've learned in the past couple of years that it is vitally important.

I've also started to read a couple of really good books. One is called When God and Cancer Meet by Lynn Eib. The other is Dear God, They Say It's Cancer by Janet Thompson. Both books deal with cancer/trials from a Christian perspective (obviously!), but neither book over simplifies the cancer experience. Cancer is tough. It brings up some very hard questions, many that are unspoken. These books acknowledge those questions, and try to give some perspective. My treatment has been a journey -- at the beginning of my diagnosis, I read "inspirational" books that helped me have hope. Those books had their time and place, but now I need something more. So far, the books I've mentioned are meeting that need.

Happy Halloween.... hope it is all full of treats, and no tricks!