As you may have noticed , I took a hiatus from writing.  A few things occurred in my life that prevented me from pounding on my keys.  Hopefully you all will understand that there may be times I can’t produce this blog.  Know this though, I will always write when I can.  It’s a promise I made to myself.  It is a promise I intend on keeping.

Sometimes, things come into our lives that make us pause our normal activities.  We can control some of these things but others, we have no say so on.  What we do have control over is how we react to the situations.

A few weeks ago my brother was diagnosed with cancer.  While his prognosis is good, the emotional toll it has taken on my family is great.  As a sister, a daughter and an aunt, it is my duty to provide the emotional and sometimes physical support in any way possible, to help everyone through this.  As you know, I have a bit of knowledge in dealing with cancer, as I went through it with my ex-husband.  Yet, a cancer diagnosis is always shocking, and each person is impacted by it in different and very personal ways.  So there may be times when I hang up my writing pen, and don my nurses cap, or pull out a therapist’s couch during this journey.

My main concern is of course, my brother, and getting him through this physically and emotionally.  There are also the collateral concerns that I will need to address as well, like my elderly parents that will need plenty of help.  Sometimes I will have to tend to them as well, to free other siblings nurturing my brother.  It is a long and tedious road, fraught with chemo, radiation, pain and emotion.  It is a road I once traveled as a passenger, and though I have been there before, time and circumstances have changed the landmarks. Yet, the main road is still there, and we’ll find our way.

So in advance pardon my sporadic writing.  Sometimes need trumps want.  I’ll always want to write, but be needed elsewhere.  I will write when I am able,.  It simply may mean, I have to reorganize the hours I write, but I can’t know all of this until we know how things go.

Illness, like that of cancer, is one of those things we have no control over.  At times we may simply be spectators, unless we take it upon ourselves to either referee in the sport, or go full-throttle and jump into the sport and get ourselves dirty.  I am not a spectator.  I am on the team.  That is the way I have chosen to react to the situation.  We will be victorious.

Jojoami

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Need Trumps Want
15 December 2009, 4:35 pm
Source: The Ovum Office

Best of luck to you and your family in dealing with this difficulty. Most, if not all creative people know what it is to have their "craft" have to take a back seat to some other higher priority. I am sure the followers of your blog both understand your lack of posts and wish you well as you work to get through this time.

I hope all is well with you as this post was written quite some time ago. Writing is therapeutic and I hope that you have used it as a means of comfort.  Take Care! 

Bless your heart for taking such a strong and positive stand in such a tough situation. I can relate to what you're going through, my mother suffered a massive stroke over four years ago which caused her to lose use of her whole right side.  I have been taking care of her since it happened and it has been the toughest most trying situation I have ever been in.  I literally have not had a day off in 3+ years. I pray that your brother will be cancer free and that it will never ever, ever, come back. God bless.

Strength, faith and lots of hugs sent your way. It is awful to have something like this happen in life but with a postive outlook and attitude, you will manage to deal with it and everything will be as it should be for you and your family.

It looks to me like since this thread is almost five years old, and she has not posted again, that wishing her the best and hoping that her brother  gets better; doesn't really make much sense anymore.  That is basically just "talking into a vacuum" as a friend of mine calls it.

If we are going to keep this thread going, then we should focus it on more pertinent things that are actually happening in people's lives that are part of this forum at the present time.

Writeaway, it sounds like you are managing to handle what life deals to you, and still find room for yourself and time to write , as well.  That is awesome, and I am sure that your mother is truly grateful to have you there in her life at this time when she needs you to help her.
I think that we all have times when what we want to do and what we need to do, are different; but making the right choice and doing what needs to be done is always the best choice.

I am still very good friends with this amazing woman, and she seems to be doing a-ok. I'm not sure about her brother but she is still kicking and writing .