Letters to Joy
October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month. In July of 2015, Michelle’s best friend, Joy, was diagnosed with breast cancer. She shared the news via text and after sharing the details she said, “I love you and can’t talk about it right now. Call me later…”
Michelle:
My response,
“This is when living 1,000 miles away becomes really inconvenient. If I were there, I would be taking you to appointments, sitting with you just because and everything in between. I’m here. I will figure out what to do.”
As I hit SEND, I had an idea.
Joy,
I have this crazy plan. Each week, I am going to send you a package like this filled with seven days worth of get well wishes, postcards, daily struggles, lessons learned, jokes, etc. You can read them while you are recovering from surgery, going to treatments or just needing a pick-me-up. This doesn’t take the place of me being there, but hopefully it will remind you that I am here for you, no matter what.
This week’s joke:
What did the blanket say when it fell off the bed? Oh, sheet.
Now that you have recovered from your laughter, I want to remind you of our common anthem, “Everything is a teachable moment”. This is no different. I know, you are going to teach your family about strength and courage. Students in your classroom will learn from you about discipline and motivation. You are teaching me about facing fears. Know this, we will learn from you!
It seems like just yesterday we were plotting our children’s arranged marriage. I don’t know what the future holds for them, but I assume we can still go on their honeymoon as planned.
Love and miss you. Michelle
Chris:
I listened as Michelle worried whether her plan would be helpful or become annoying. I laughed at her ridiculous choice of jokes to include in each set of weekly cards. But mostly, I marveled at her steady resolve to support her friend. Each week, we read Joy’s Facebook updates together that described her “new normal”. I remember holding Michelle a little closer when we read that Joy was giving up on wearing a wig or being a tough girl who felt so weak. I was surprised to discover how protective of Michelle I became. We talked often about what we would do if….
Michelle:
While Joy taught us some amazing lessons like being thankful for the little things or we are always stronger than we thought we were, the unexpected lesson we learned as a couple will forever stand out to me. Joy took inspiration from my daily letters to ensure every single day, that her husband, James, knew how much he was valued, appreciated and loved. The lesson learned: Don’t wait, tell your spouse every day how important they are to you.
Joy just celebrated 28 years of marriage, 23 years in education and 5 years cancer-free!
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