Seven degrees of separation

A few years ago, I was introduced to the notion of "seven degrees of separation" by a couple of my very good friends (Michelle and Shawn). Since then, I've heard different variations on this--five degrees, etc. The basic premise is that, at any given time, all people are separated from knowing each other by more or less seven people.

Why am I bringing this up? Rambling thoughts. :-)

Seriously, though, it came to my mind because of a little lunch date I had yesterday, set up by my very good friend Kim Bignon. She is a wonderful, positive, energetic, person, who is friends with tons of people, I suspect because she never met a person who didn't love her, probably because she is also one of those people who knows how to be a really good friend.

She told me at the start of my cancer trials about her friend, Punky, who had, and beat, breast cancer. Punky made a bunch of shirts that read, "More than a Conquerer," and have the pink ribbon emblazoned on the back. She found out Kim B had not one, but three friends in Orlando fighting the good fight, and she sent us all a shirt.

Yesterday, Kim B gathered me, and the two other gals who got Punky's shirt together for lunch. date she named "Bosom Buddies."

My new Bosom Buddies are Amy, a beautiful wife and mother of three, currently with a head of curly black hair and one year cancer free, and Shari, also a wife and mother of two. She's had her surgery, and just finished chemo. Next she'll begin radiation. She and I both showed our heads briefly, and we both have a layer of fuzz, akin to a tennis ball or a baby chick, depending on your level of creativity!

Lord, I hope she won't mind my sharing this, but she got a little troubling news right before lunch. I don't know the exact details, only that a few abnormal cells were found on her breast (again, this is post surgery and chemo) and now she must go in for an MRI. Ever since I heard this, she has been on my heart. Prayer warriors who have been so good to me, I humbly place at your feet this request: Please stop what you're doing right now, stop reading, and say a prayer for complete healing for Shari and continued good health for Amy.

Thank you for doing that.

OK, so the degrees of separation thing. From the thoughts of my new bosom buddies sprang thoughts of just how many people are, or have been, affected by cancer. (forgive me if some of the names are unfamiliar to you, just know that if you don't know them, it's only by a separation of one person--me!) My mom, my grand mom, Danna (way in the past, thank God, and not breast), Aimee Nocero-Lewis's mom. Kimmy, a lovely accountant n Richard's office, just learned her brother-in-law, a recent emmigre into the country has brain cancer and approximately two years to live. Dr. Hunter, Northland's head pastor, recently lost his grand daughter to cancer. My mom's boss's wife, Sarah, is fighting cancer, and her boss, Mike, already beat melanoma (I think that's what he had) and my OAD also fought this. Paul lost his mother to lung cancer. Becca lost grandma Faye. Pam's partner's husband has leukemia.

Sorry this is such a loosey-goosey blog. I'm just feeling like I want to get the whole world together, like in the old Coke commercial, to hold hands and sing to the heavens for a cure for this disease, and for comfort for those the disease ravages in its wake (spouses, children, friends).

Jeese. In this world, you never know what's next. You never know who will get sick, who will get run over (Kim B!!!), or whatever else may separate us. A lot of times people think about their bucket lists. What they want to do before they die. I'm asking you to think about what you want to do with others before they die. I'm not trying to be maudlin! I swear I have a point! :-) I'm saying live you life normally, yes. Go to work. Go to the gym. Read a book, take vacation, garden. Just make sure in the midst of it all you find time to love the ones you're with. I'm convinced that memories of not being good to your loved ones, or even strangers, is a way worse regret to have than never having jumped from an airplane or seen the Taj Mahal (sp?) or made a million bucks, or blah blah blah.

I'm also convinced no one ever regretted loving well. I hope I never forget this lesson. I hope you don't mind my mental cogitation on the subject (then again, if you did, you probably stopped reading long before now :-)) That said, allow me to say just one thing more concerning love. Go for it!