are looking for.
One of the
charms that is
most meaningful
to me is the
Penguin. I chose
it in honor of my
husband, whose
favorite animal
is the penguin.
The entry I wrote
is really my love
letter to him. I
can't imagine
going through all
of this without
him. I wanted to
run. John would hold me
and bring me back. He is
always beside me, holding
my hand, sharing his light
and love.
Another meaningful charm
is the Treble Clef my son
Alex chose. He chose it, "...
for no particular reason,
because sometimes you
have to do things for no
particular reason." The
charm inspired me to write about my children, Katie
and Alex and the phrase, "Why walk when you can
dance? Why talk when you can
sing?" That's our family. Why do
things in plain ordinary ways
when you can do them with
great style and enthusiasm?
And then there's the Gift charm
and the gift you can't return
(cancer) or the mashed-potato-
inspiring Locket charm with pictures
of my family in it; the Infinity Symbol and what is infinite
and what is not; the Moon charm that inspired a look at
chronos and kairos time; the Bear that
just is; the Dragonfly that changes
direction in midair; or the turtle
that slowly moves into the new
normal. Truly, each charm is my
favorite because each one holds a
special meaning to me.
How did your family handle hearing about your
diagnosis?
My husband and I just held each
other and cried. When you hear
the words, "You have cancer," or
you hear your spouse say the
words, "I have cancer" your life
changes forever. When we were
done crying, we still held onto
each other and went out together
to slay the dragon (this is something
Gayle talks about in the Cinderella Charm entry). When
we told our son, who was 13 years old at the time, we
explained what we knew and what we would be learning
in the next few weeks. He asked a few questions and then
he said, "Well, Mom, let's go kick some cancer butt!" Se we
did. Telling our daughter
was harder because she
was away at college. We
waited until we knew she
would be with friends.
Then I called and told her.
It was hard. We were brave
some of the time, and we
cried some of the time.
After we talked, she spent
the weekend crocheting
me a gorgeous blanket
that I use every day. She
was able to come visit the
following weekend which
was very good.
What should people walk away with after reading
your book?
"Hope."
What was your biggest takeaway from writing,
Leading a Charmed Life?
What my kids were talking about last night: you live in
the new normal. We do what we can and that's enough.
In this moment I am ok. That was my mantra when I was
diagnosed with metastatic breast cancer in June of 2013.
Partly for myself, for my husband, for my kids, I need to
be positive. But I needed to be realistic. Take it one day
at a time. Live in the moment. Doing things as a family.
John added, "When you [take it one day at a time] you
recognize the angels in your path. In this moment, if
you look at the end results you cry every day. It's hard
to be the one watching. I wanted to take it away. "Live
in the moment..." I love her positive attitude.
Katie, Gayle, John & Alex
Photos this page courtesy of Brandie Bracy.