Getting Started

2011.

In August, I will be 60 years old -- and I will also celebrate the 30th anniversary of my treatment and surgery for cancer.  So, from this year forward, I will have lived more than half my life as an official "survivor."  It seems like an occasion calling for reflection and, certainly, appreciation.  It has been quite a ride.

I've titled this blog "Notes from the Oasis" because this stage of my life is so sweet and lush and green.  After so many years in an emotional and physiological desert, it is stunning to find myself here.  I'm also pretty certain that this won't last.  Life is cyclical, after all, and I know there must be hardships and heartache ahead.  I want to store up in myself all the appreciation and nourishment I can, to sustain myself through whatever lies ahead.

Why a blog instead of a diary?  Well, I've been through some pretty amazing things -- surviving not just cancer but a whole lot of other stuff -- and maybe, by casting these thoughts outward, they might reach somebody who needs some hope.

I'm here to tell you, don't give up.  Thirty years ago I lost just about everything that defined my life and my vision for my own future.  And now, here I am, with everything I ever wanted, and more than I could have imagined.

So, as this jubilee year unfolds, I'll tell the story of the past, and savor the present, and ponder the future.  You (whoever you are) are welcome to join me, ask questions, share your own reflections on these thoughts, or ignore me and go on about your other business.

For now:  Happy New Year!  ... and God bless us, every one.