Happy June from Mature Resources

Being an inquisitive researcher, I went online to “Google” other June holidays which might also affect us personally in this sixth month of 2008.

Actually, June may turn out to be my favorite month. On June 7, we celebrate National Chocolate Ice Cream Day. Oddly, the next day is called Name Your Poison Day, which I have no intention of looking into any further.

On June 22 and June 26 chocoholics like me will enjoy National Chocolate Éclair Day, followed by National Chocolate Pudding Day.

June 14 is National Nude Day, so I hope it’s not too cold for most of you! Ironically, June 26 ties in perfectly – it’s All or Nothing Day. Going along with this theme, I’m wondering how many of us will be celebrating Take Your Pants for a Walk Day on July 27? (Truthfully, I had planned to wear a dress that day).

We will celebrate Father’s Day the third Sunday this month. The last day of June is called Parent’s Day…which is very sweet, indeed! I hope you have reason to celebrate both these days with loved ones.

Of course, there are many more holidays we could share, if we had the time, including our patriotic Flag Day, followed by the less significant, Fly a Kite Day. The rest you will just have to research yourself.

June begins with a Celebration of Life, National Cancer Survivor’s Day. This day is a poignant reminder for millions of us that cancer twists lives around and upside-down upon diagnosis and probably forever. The hundreds of individually-named cancers affect each of us – physically, emotionally, and financially – in different ways. That’s what we call living our “new normal.”

Often, cancer reminds us for the first time how important it is to love living each day. To surround ourselves with positive people and create powerfully positive life experiences. To reflect on what’s truly important – and throw out the inconsequential “garbage” thoughts which consume many of us. To love and to live.

I learned this all by myself.

Both my husband and I took turns “getting” cancer. That is a weird way of saying what happens when doctors tell people like Stephen and I that we have “the big C.” For those of you who are unfamiliar with this term, years ago people were afraid to say the word out loud, in those two horrific syllables. We were afraid of the word as well as the outcome. Some of us even thought it was contagious.

That was then…and this is now. In 2008, millions of us are Survivors. We discuss it more openly, and we walk in tribute to our recovery as well as the possibility that one day cancer will be no more.

Amen.