Thursday Thoughts - Loss

From the book, "After Breast Cancer" by Musa Mayer

On loss...

"...there is something about having breast cancer that stays with many of us, preventing us from putting this illness out of our minds and into the past. From my own experience and that of the hundreds of women I've heard discussing these issues over the years, I believe that what's bothering us is fundamentally three-fold: what we've lost, what we fear and how we've changed.

Over time, our sense of what we have lost is very likely to become tempered - and even outweighed - by evidence of personal growth, as hard-won struggles lead to a new awareness of resilience and strength, a new sense of freedom, and new perspectives, as priorities are clarified and trivial involvements fall away.

The losses we feel are real, nonetheless, and must be acknowledged and given the honor of our compassionate attention, if we are to work through our feelings of grief and anger to achieve some sense of acceptance and move toward emotional recovery."