Do we get second chances in life?
I think we do, in more ways than one.
My first second chance happened in 2003 at my 40th high school reunion.
Gloria who wasnt my friend yet was seated at a table with other classmates. Even though the group didnt look familiar, I was determined to greet everyone before the evening ended.
As we chatted, Gloria confided that this was her very first class reunion. I shared that Id been to each one. We reminisced how in a California school of almost 3,000 that our paths hadnt crossed.
But on that night, she and I connected. It was a second chance for friendship.
In the months that followed, we emailed. She learned that I had been through breast cancer earlier that year. I learned about her family, a new vacation home in Mexico, and other slices of her life.
Then, about a year later, she broke the news that she was going through breast cancer. As friends do, we conferred, consoled and shared tears. Friendship offered strength for the journey.
Gloria became a survivor. Life took on normalcy again.
Then one day, the news came that she faced cancers challenge again. As the weeks flew by, I became complacent, lost in a world of my own.
I was sure Gloria would beat the Big C again this time.
But she didnt. And that second chance for friendship slipped away, leaving remorse as my constant companion. Regret over losing contact with my friend during her time of need troubled me deeply and has continued to do so.
And yet, I think God sees our heart and the grief that lingers.
Recently, Glorias daughter Celina discovered my email address in a Christmas card. She sent the glorious news that she and her husband have had their first baby, little Rex Joseph.
Celina also asked me to be her friend on Facebook.
For me, this is another second chance one that feels like a hug from Heaven.
Similar stories:
Faces of Cancer: Fighting for your life
Faces of Cancer: Fighting for your life
WEST RICHLAND — There is no more "normal" after a cancer diagnosis.
There is life before cancer and life with cancer, but there is no life after cancer -- even with successful treatment.
Cancer is always a presence.
Poland's 1996 Nobel poet Szymborska dies at 88
Poland's 1996 Nobel poet Szymborska dies at 88
Poland's 1996 Nobel Prize-winning poet Wislawa Szymborska, whose simple words and playful verse plucked threads of irony and empathy out of life, has died. She was 88.
Faces of Cancer: Support system key in battle
Faces of Cancer: Support system key in battle
KENNEWICK — Cancer is a battle with many fronts -- and treatment is just one of them.
People living with cancer, whether it's their own diagnosis or the diagnosis of a loved one, undergo a significant life change, and they also must battle the stress, the emotions, the side effects of treatment, the financial strains, the changes in relationships and the adjustments to their lifestyles.
All of that takes a toll, which is why health care professionals and advocates have created a network of support systems to help those experiencing cancer with all facets of the battle -- including what comes after the fight is over.
Ask Mr. Dad: When friends let friends down
Ask Mr. Dad: When friends let friends down
Dear Mr. Dad: My 8-year-old daughter's best friend - a girl she's known since kindergarten - just moved out of the area. My daughter doesn't make friends very easily - she's always had a small number of pretty intense friendships - and she seems particularly devastated that this girl is leaving town. I'm worried about her. Is there anything I can do to make her feel better?
Faces of Cancer: Richland woman won't let cancer get her down
Faces of Cancer: Richland woman won't let cancer get her down
The first time Laurel Piippo of Richland was diagnosed with cancer in 1988, she figured she was a goner. She even picked out the music for her funeral and wrote her obituary.
But 23 years later and two more bouts of cancer behind her, that obituary is badly out of date -- and Piippo, 84, has no plans to update it because she is just too ornery to die.
"I am obviously unkillable!" she said with a hearty laugh.
Print
Email Story
