It is hard to say that Cancer is a gift, but if you learn something from your experience, can it be? That was a recent post on my Facebook page. Ever since I posted it, I’ve been thinking about that gift, and why it has changed my life.
Think about what your gifts are. Do you use them or are you still waiting for the time to be right?
We are all given gifts – we may open them right away or we may decide to wait until we think we are ready. I want to encourage you to not be afraid to share your gifts.
As I look back this past year on my cancer journey, I can truly say my diagnosis was a gift I needed to open. No, it wasn’t something I had wished for, but as I took it out of its box, I found out what an impact it could make within my life.
One of the gifts I received was “why not today?” What I mean is to do the things you’ve always thought or imagined might be possible. For example, starting this website. I had thought many times about something like this, but it actually wouldn’t have happened without the push that cancer has given me. I’ve always enjoyed fashion, but having the cancer intertwined in my life gave me the edge to make it something worth giving to others in my eyes.
Another gift cancer has given to me is that it is important to make my feelings come first. I’ve have spent a majority of my life worrying what other people think or how they feel putting people first and me second. I’ve come to realize what is really important is how I feel. It’s okay to put people first every once in a while, but it is so much better to have my focus on me and what feels right for me.
Blogging was something I never thought I could do, but as I work on the blogs I have discovered it has been beneficial and therapeutic for me. So, hopefully my blogs are a gift to someone because doing the work has been a gift to me.
I have learned so much about myself. I’ve continued to grow in patience, acceptance, trust, time, courage, and faith, just to name a few. These, all wrapped up together, have given me the chance to see things differently with my life. Each day I become stronger within a different aspect of my life. Do I wish I didn’t have cancer? Absolutely, but it is a reality I cannot change. I choose to evolve instead of standing still during this journey.
People have unique gifts that may be recognized differently throughout your life by different people. Think of the things that are given or received throughout the day……. a smile, a laugh, a listening ear. Gifts you give and receive are truly endless when you think about it and have nothing to do with material things.
What you see as a gift from someone, another person may not see at all or something totally opposite. Interpretation is in the eye of the beholder. People see different versions of you and different versions of your gifts and that’s okay.
Giving and receiving of gifts is what life is really about. Think of all the possibilities of what gift you have and still will develop; the list is endless. I encourage you to look within, with confidence, open your mind and share your gifts.
That’s the beauty of being human. No gift is cut in stone. But every gift is worth opening for someone.
What gift haven’t you opened yet?