{Straight From the Heart} *My Best Friend* 12/2/99
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It is with great pleasure that I introduce another new writer to
the list! Today's story shows what true love is all about.....
Thank you for sharing your writing with us Terri!
My Best Friend
The word "cancer" seems to leave most people at a loss for
words. I found this out first hand 16 months ago. I was diag-
nosed with breast cancer and left the doctor's office in a daze.
Upon arriving home I gave my husband the "verdict." He had
very little to say about it; I NEEDED to talk about it. What a
pair we made!
In the time period between my diagnosis of breast cancer
and the time of the actual surgery, my husband would only
talk about it if pressed into a conversation. I felt alone, very
depressed, and unloved. I didn't think he really cared for me
or he would (at a time like this) BE there for me and show me
moral support of some form or another.
The morning of my surgery we were at the hospital bright and
early. We just made small talk as we awaited my appointed
hour. It still amazes me how one can sit and chit chat about
inconsequential things when their very life is about to be
altered in a permanent way.
When the nurse came to wheel me away to pre-op, she said
it would be ok for my husband to ride down in the patient's
elevator with us. He accompanied us as far as the waiting
area and the nurse said we would continue on and that he
could wait here.
There were several people already in the waiting area, and
right in front of the nurse and the other people, my husband
bent down and kissed me and said, "I love you." This is
something that the nurse had probably heard quite often,
but you need to realize that for my husband to do this in
PUBLIC, I was shocked to my socks (if I'd been wearing
any!). At that point I finally realized that he DID care.
I had a bi-lateral mastectomy and was released the next
morning. I felt fine as far as the surgery goes. However, I
was concerned about my "appearance" and how my hus-
band would accept all this. The sugeon had given me
permission to take a tub bath if I so desired, so long as I
kept the drainage tubes out of the water.
My husband offered to help me, and since I had four drainage
tubes to contend with, I took him up on the offer. I figured he
may as well see me like this and get it over with already. It
seems that perhaps it was easier for HIM than it was me. I
looked at myself in the mirror, bit my lip to keep from crying,
and got into the tub.
My husband started giving me a bath as if I were a small
child. He kept up a stream of idle chit chat the whole while
as if this were a normal part of our daily routine. Finally I
couldn't keep the tears back any longer and he heard me
sniffle. At first he just kept right on with the bath, but
finally he hugged me (as best he could under the circum-
stances) and told me he loved me. He said it didn't matter
to him that I'd had both breasts removed. He told me the
important thing to him was that all the cancer had been
removed and that I got well.
I had always felt close to my husband and had always
considered him a friend. But at that moment in the
bathroom, I suddenly knew what the words "best friend"
and "soulmate" meant.
T. Davis
Copyright 1999
Email Terri and let her know what you thought of her story!
ludwig63@yahoo.com
A little bit about Terri:
I am happily married with a 5 year old son. As a
family, we enjoy camping and fishing. We also like
to bowl. I have had the same factory job (assembly
line) for 21 years now. Although I don't attend any
particular church, I have a personal relationship
with God. The most recent hobby to capture my
attention has been piecing quilts. My website is
"under construction."
REQUEST/UPDATE:
From: MCdevey@aol.com (Mary Carol)
Dear Michael,
I'm writing you to up date you on my granddaughter Laura's
report from Mayo this week. Laura failed her stress test but
other than that the doctors were very pleased with how she
looked. She came home having to take 2 nebulizers (whatever
that is--and I'm sure I spelled it wrong). They are costly ---
$600.00 a month--- but praise God there is such a thing that
will help this 12 year old. I'm forever grateful to those of
you who prayed for her and wrote me such personal encouraging notes.
God bless you all Mary Carol
From: Cbea15@aol.com (Charlotte)
Dear Michael,
One of my friends is in the hospital because of a bad
asthma attack and he now has pneumonia. His name is Santos he's
been in there since the day before Thanksgiving. On this past
Sunday, his lung threatened to collapse, and they inserted a
chest tube. He was taken off his oxygen today when we stopped
in for a visit which is a good sign. We don't know how long he'll
be in there or how long the chest tube will stay in. He seemed a
lot more like himself today then on Sunday when I first learned of
his condition. I have only known Santos since the end of August but
I love him like a brother. Please pray for him as he struggles to
get well. Michael, will you send this out so that everyone will
know and hopefully pray for him? Santos is a devout Catholic,
he's still in high school but he is engaged to a great girl.
Please pray that he will soon be back to full health.
Thanx,
Charlotte
CBEA15@aol.com
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Thought For The Day:
"Many a man has found the acquisition of wealth only a change,
not an end, of miseries."
(Lucius Seneca)
Verse for the Day:
"He who loves money will not be satisfied with money, nor he who
loves abundance with its income."
Ecclesiastes 5:10
Kid's Thought For The day:
"The teacher can always tell when you did your homework on the bus."
Parent's Thought For The Day
"Where parents do too much for their children, the children will
not do much for themselves."
(Elbert Hubbard)
Coach's Thought For The Day
"Well done is better than well said."
(Benjamin Franklin)
Deep Thought For The Day:
"A citizen of America will cross the ocean to fight for democracy,
but won't cross the street to vote in a national election."
(Bill Vaughan)
_
/_/\/\ MICHAEL T. POWERS
\_\ / THUNDER27@aol.com http://members.aol.com/Thunder27/index.html
/_/ \ "For I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but
\_\/\ \ Christ lives in me. The life I live in the body I live for the Son
\_\/ of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me." Galatians 2:20