~ The Power of Pink

"There is one pain I often feel, which you'll never know ~ it's caused by the absence of you.

~ Ashleigh Brilliant

When I lived in Omaha and was working at Papio, I was very fortunate to be surrounded by a loving and supportive group of friends. We started out as 5 and went down to 4 when one transferred to the new high school. That group of 4 soon grew to a group of 9 and we’d try to meet at least once a month at one of our homes. These evenings were always filled with laughter, food, wine and an abundance of friendship. I can’t even begin to describe how much I miss this group of women in my life.

Monday night, one of these women passed away after a long battle with breast cancer. My heart hurts. For her family, her loved ones and the women whose lives were so lucky to have been touched by her.

My life, like many, has been touched by breast cancer more times than I care to remember. I lost my favorite aunt to the disease in 1996. I lost one of my closest and oldest friends last year. One of my Pipettes is a breast cancer survivor. And on Monday night, another beautiful soul was taken.

When Sally died last year, I ranted and raved. I didn’t understand how a woman who had enriched so many lives, had so much to live for, had 3 sons whom she adored, a husband, and an army of friends who loved her could be taken from us. I don’t understand how there are people like her who want so badly to live and are taken from us, while there are others who have literally been at deaths door only to be miraculously saved and then not appreciate the second chance at life that they’ve been given. It’s something that will always baffle, confuse and sadden me.

When we lose someone who has been such an integral part of our lives, the pain and emptiness of that loss is overwhelming. We need to remember that life is short and while we’re here, we need to remember to dance, to play, to love and to appreciate.