My Rather Quiet Calendar

Dear Friends ~

A quick note to let you know that I haven’t fallen off the face of the earth! I’ve been meaning to write since last summer. In fact, I was sitting at my desk putting the finishing touches on a newsletter when I got a call that changed everything – all my plans for gigs, teaching, recording, record releases – the wonderful, crazy, overwhelming, doing-ness of this life that I love.

As John Lennon so wisely wrote, "Life is what happens when we're busy making other plans."

Turns out that my plans for the next several months evaporated in that moment. The call was from my doctor to tell me that the lump they’d found during a mammogram a month earlier was positive for breast cancer. The good news is that they caught it early and my prognosis is excellent. In fact my very optimistic surgeon said I would "just have to find another way to die". She has a great sense of humor - which I appreciate even more at a time like this!

So for the next few months I will be focusing on my health. One of my friends said, “Wow. It’s like you’re going on a silent retreat but the thing that’s silent is your calendar.” It’s true – and it’s not easy for me. It’s like a spiritual practice keeping those little squares blank. But I’m also enjoying the space it creates. A cancer diagnosis sucks – but it is giving me time to slow down, reevaluate, and savor every moment. And that feels very good.

I am incredibly fortunate to have wonderful friends, family, and the best medical team ever – all the support I need to get well. And get well I will. That’s why I’m writing. If you’ve heard through the grapevine that I’m ill - I wanted to let you know that you needn’t worry for me. If you hadn’t heard this news – I wanted to be the one to tell you so that you can send healing vibes my way, knowing that I’m already on the road to a full recovery.

Thank you, as always, for your love and support. I’ll be in touch!

Love,

Valerie

P.S. Here's a pic of my “nu ‘do”. Figured if I’m going to lose my hair – I might as well have some fun with it first!

P.S.S. I recently attended a meditation/yoga workshop for cancer patients at The Movement Center in N.E. Portland and came away with quite a few tools to help me on this journey. My naturopathic doctor, Ken Weizer (who has lived through cancer himself and treats a lot of cancer patients), taught a segment on laughter yoga. Turns out it’s the best medicine ever. People sometimes ask if there’s anything they can do to help me through this. So here it is: If you come across a something that makes you laugh so hard you cry – would you be so kind as to leave a comment here, email it to me through my contact page or post it to my Facebook Profile? Since I’ll be focusing on my health, I might not be able to get back to you with my thanks, but know that you are helping me survive and thrive during treatments in a really wonderful way. xoxo!