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© 2022 Kebba Buckley Button, MS, OM.  World Rights Reserved. http://www.kebba.com

Ron and Kebba Button.  Image by Judy Mangino.

Life often has interesting twists and turns.  The Chinese have a curse, “May you live in interesting times.”  And my life has been a bit too interesting over the last few months.  If you like, skip past the bullet points, to see what all I am grateful for at the half-year mark.

A half year ago, my life turned on a dime and then turned again, over a few weeks’ time–and nothing to do with COVID.

  • June 17.  I showed a weird leg spot to my dermatologist, who reacted strongly and took a biopsy.
  • June 18.  The dermatologist called me and my husband to meet with him at his office.  I was diagnosed with a rare and malignant form of melanoma.
  • June 23.  My husband and I met my new surgeon at  Mayo Clinic, north Phoenix.  I started some pre-surgical scans and tests.
  • June 26.  My husband was vomiting blood and was taken to a nearby hospital by ambulance.  He never came home again.
  • June 30.  I started operating 2 hospital portals, to handle my own care and my husband’s.
  • July 2.  A dear friend took me for final tests and scans at Mayo Clinic Scottsdale, then surgery at Mayo Clinic Phoenix.  I now had a 3″ incision for removal of a lymph node and a 7″ incision on my thigh, to remove the cancer and its margins.  All the tissue was declared cancer-free, but I needed to begin 12 months of chemo to be sure.
  • July 10.  My husband’s son– a fine man– arrived from California.  I was unable to visit my husband in person very much, but Glenn stayed in his room for hours each day.  My husband and I used Facetime a lot, and it was wonderful!
  • July 27.  My husband, no longer responsive, was taken to Ryan House of Hospice of the Valley–clearly an outpost of Heaven.
  • July 28.  I had my first chemotherapy.
  • August 1.  My husband passed at Ryan House.  No more pain!
  • August 1.  The Ultimate Blog Challenge began for the month.  Already registered, I decided to blast in and write daily articles as a form of therapy.  No one in the UBC knew what had been happening in my life lately.  I wrote for half a month before telling anyone.  It was wonderful to read my friends’ articles and trade comments with them.  Also, I made a few new blogger friends that month.  I also completed the November UBC and the January 2022 UBC.  So great for keeping the mind and heart fresh!

 I have many points of gratitude.  My husband had been so ill that I was relieved for him when he passed.  Of course, I have missed him horribly, but with much love and support, this is getting easier weekly.  I am grateful for the staffs of the facilities that treated us both, with competency, tact, and compassion.  I am grateful for the dear friends who took me to frequent appointments and to my husband’s hospital to visit him.  I am grateful for my husband’s son, who teamed with me to oversee my husband’s care in his last few weeks.  I am grateful for my Hospice counselor friend who gives me regular grief counseling.  I am grateful for the love of friends, some of whom sent cards, and some whom texted their love and support and prayers daily.  I am grateful for my own prayer team, the Order of Saint Luke (OSL), whose love and compassion and prayers kept me going when I could hardly walk, and since.  I am grateful for relatives understanding I needed tons of extra rest and quiet, not gatherings and calls. I am grateful to the Masonic and Shrine families, who declared their undying love and support for me, together with permanent invitations to all events; I am grateful to those who popped up at events, joyful to see me, and rushed over to give me huge hugs.

I am grateful for the beautiful skies, sunny days and rainy ones.  I give thanks for many goofy little things, like a ripe pear and a cane with 4 feet and a fold-down seat.  I am grateful for my recovery and emotional growth during this half-year.  I am grateful that I can now drive with comfort and lift a big bag of groceries–but not at the same time.  I am grateful for my conversations with blogger friends, their articles taking me where I would not have thought to go during these weeks of shock and juggling widowy paperwork. I am grateful to the friends who come to get goods and books for donations and boxes full of files to be shredded.   I am grateful that my healing clients are coming back; I love serving them.  I love this 6-month milestone and all of my progress.  It is a huge blessing to feel my vitality and enthusiasm coming back.

I had set the goal of not carrying this story beyond the first 6 months.  So this piece is the end of my telling this story.  Now I focus on my health and re-setting my home, and enjoying my life and loved ones.  And that is me, shaping the new life I want, ever more Healthy Happy and Loving Lifesm!

Kebba Buckley Button is a stress management expert, holistic healer, and award-winning author who celebrates life.  She has a longtime natural healing practice and is an ordained minister. Among her books are: Discover The Secret Energized You (http://tinyurl.com/b44v3br), Inspirations for Peace Within:  Quotes and Images to Uplift and Inspire, and Sacred Meditation: Embracing the Divine.  The books are available on Amazon and through Kebba’s office.   They are also available in Scottsdale, Arizona, at the Franciscan Renewal Center bookstore and at the bookstore at St. Barnabas on the Desert Episcopal Church. Or simply email us to order:  kebba@kebba.com .  Thank you!

Happy healthy loving life

Books by Kebba Buckley Button