Every Day is a Rocking Chair Day in Spite of Stage 4 Colon Cancer

Today is another magical day. Celebrations are abundant during this month starting with Independence Day, Karlie's birthday, my birthday, then mine and Ronnie's anniversary and Chloe Day. This day 29 years ago, I married the love of my life. I can remember every waking moment feeling like an incredible dream for months afterward. During those moments I was so much in love I couldn't imagine or believe that anything could bring more happiness. I wanted that feeling to last into our rocking chair days.

With each daughter, that joy became more complete. Our lives were sewn together with the golden gossamer threads of faith and family. As the years have dissapeared and time has faded, that love has only grown. Our vows have been put to test time and again.

Both good times and bad have become a reminder to focus daily on the good. Since cancer, we attempt to boldly push aside the bad. Each breath is a fortunate one and of that we are cognizantly aware. For richer and poorer showed us that even in the poorest of financial moments we have been blessed with the richness of togetherness. There is irreplaceable wealth with the closeness of your soulmate. In sickness and in health is a vow that has been rocked to the core. We add up quite a list between the two of us: slipped disk in the back, cancer, slipped disc in the neck, cancer, a small stroke, cancer, osteomyelitis, cancer. Yet through surgeries, chemo, procedures and rehab, our love has prevailed.

We have even begun to discover the absolutely amazing ailments that accompany the gift of time and the accumulation of anniversaries: the graying and thinning of hair, every joint aches, the knees are bad, the hip is out, can't hear or see a thing. For these gifts that aging shares, we are intensely grateful.

Today we celebrate twenty-nine years and counting! Our anniversary wish is that togetherness gives you the same cause to celebrate that it has for us, that good is never overshadowed by bad, that there is always richness, and that even in sickness there will be hope. May you celebrate, hand in hand, the gift of love and know that every day is a rocking chair day.