Healthy Happy Loving Life: Chemo Mission Complete!

30 Saturday Jul 2022

Posted by Kebba Buckley Button in beating cancer, chemo, chemotherapy, Dealing with stress, rainbows, stress, Stress Management, the life you want

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beating cancer, chemo, chemotherapy, Grief, Kebba Buckley Button, rainbows, The life you want, UpBeat Living

Last July, I was diagnosed with a rare and aggressive cancer. I suddenly began a journey with Mayo Clinic, involving surgery and chemotherapy. Mayo is very serious about beating cancer. Within days of the diagnosis, I was in surgery, then chemo every 4 weeks for a year, plus many blood draws and scans to see how I was doing. Friends gave me many rides to my many appointments.

Here, I am sharing 4 images that are very important to me. After those many visits to the chemo unit, I wanted a photo of me in the chair. And I love the image of the drip monitor saying, “INFUSION COMPLETE”. Yes! The series is complete, and I will never need to be in that room again. We did the work. The colorful certificate, above, was provided by the nurses, a team of whom presented themselves cheerfully at the completion of my last infusion. They were wearing sparkly hats and carrying quiet noisemakers, jumping up and down, celebrating my success.

Finally, I love rainbows and their meaning as God’s promise/s that all will be well, starting now. And here is one that God offered me a few days ago, after a PET scan showed there is no longer any cancer!!

Mayo will continue to draw my blood and scan me, for several years. But now I focus on getting my strength back and enjoying my life and loved ones, my work and my clients. And that is me, shaping the new life I want, ever more Healthy Happy and Loving Life^sm!

In my daily series this month, I hope to strongly convince you that positive living is the way to be, and that it results in greater health and happiness and joy. Plus, it’s more fun! And that would be me and you, shaping our lives anew, ever more Healthy Happy and Loving Life^sm!

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!

Books by Kebba Buckley Button

Healthy Happy Loving Life: My Ridiculous Year Since My Life Turned On A Dime

28 Thursday Jul 2022

Posted by Kebba Buckley Button in beating cancer, Dealing with stress, loss of a spouse, stress, Stress Management, the life you want

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beating cancer, Grief, Grieving, Kebba Buckley Button, loss of a spouse, The life you want, UpBeat Living

Ron and Kebba Button. Image by Judy Mangino.

Today marks the milestone of one year since my life became ridiculous. One year ago, I suddenly became a chemo patient, a widow, and a home flood survivor. My husband was 19 years older than me, and he preferred not to have any medical help. As he had been very ill, I was not surprised when he began vomiting blood. There is no sight like 6 buff paramedics in your front hallway, each holding strange boxes and parcels of equipment. They quickly determined Hunky Husband needed to go immediately to a certain hospital– the nearest, and a fantastic emergency/trauma center. He would never come home again.

My identity as wife changed to my identity as widow in days. Most of the time I was going through chemo, I was a widow. I had his wedding band resized for me, and I wore it all the time. But now, stepping over the threshold into my new life, it no longer works to define myself in relation to that chapter of my life. It no longer works to define myself by the post-surgical pain, the chemo pain, or the pain of mourning. My husband and I each did our best in the number of years we had together. It’s time to bless and release those years. Now it’s time for me to take care of myself and do and be what I am called to do and be.

For me, as a person of faith, I saw God was clearing the decks for me to move into my New Life. It hasn’t been easy. But there was one direction in which to move: forward.

I am so grateful for the staffs of the facilities that treated my husband, and the Mayo Clinic, which has been treating me. I am grateful for the friends who took me to frequent appointments and to pick up my husband’s ashes. I am grateful for all those who helped me celebrate Hunky Husband’s life, on his 88th birthday, in September. I am grateful to my writer friends in the Ultimate Blog Challenge, who gave my life rhythm during the August, November, January, April, and (now) July blog challenges. Writing has been great therapy! So great for keeping the mind and heart fresh! And the friendships have bolstered me more than you may all know. I am so grateful for everyone who helped me, prayed for me, sent kind notes, included me in events, and rushed to hug me.

I am especially grateful for my husband’s son, who teamed with me to oversee my husband’s care in his last few weeks. Also for my Hospice counselor friend who gives me regular grief counseling, keeping my perspective ticking.

After my Ridiculous Year, I am a deeper person. I laugh if someone tries to be rude– I just don’t care. Such things are not “of me”, and they do not matter. I am more calmly caring, my rough edges worn away by pain and trials. Every good thing seems so sweet. I greet my house when I come home: hello, sweet house! I savor the friendships that have become more deep and textured in the last year.

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 home 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 for the beautiful skies, sunny days and rainy ones. I treasure the miraculous sky photos I am able to capture. I give thanks for many goofy little things, like a perfectly ripe avocado, California rolls, and a new Mickey Mouse mug brought by friends from Disney Orlando. I am grateful for my conversations with blogger friends, their articles taking me where I would not have thought to go during these months of shock and juggling widowy paperwork. I am grateful that my healing clients are coming back; I love serving them. I love this one-year milestone and all of my progress. It is a huge blessing to feel my vitality and enthusiasm coming back. I have taken my wedding rings off, for embarking on this new time in my life. My Ridiculous Year is giving way, with grace, to my New Beautiful Life.

I had set the goal of not carrying this story beyond one year. 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, my work and my clients. And that is me, shaping the new life I want, ever more Healthy Happy and Loving Life^sm!

Books by Kebba Buckley Button

Healthy Happy Loving Life: Some Mistakes Can Be Corrected

19 Tuesday Jul 2022

Posted by Kebba Buckley Button in apologizing, Dealing with stress, Effective Living, Feeling energized, Feng Shui, Guilt, Lifestyle, mistakes, stress

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apologizing, choices, energy, Feng Shui, Guilt, mistakes, stress, Stress Management

-Image by megapixl

From the time we were very young, we have understood the power of “OOPS!” Sometimes tiny children, who otherwise only know the word “NO”, have caught onto the idea of “OOPS!”, the thing that is a mistake. Sometimes the glass of juice is knocked over. Sometimes the cat goes in the garbage can. Sometimes candy gets melded with a small toy, and the toy can’t operate right now, with all that sticky goodness all over it. We parent types spin around fast when we hear a tiny voice saying “OOPS!” or even “UH_OH!” Those are our clues to come running and fix the mistake.

However, for adults, we may sometimes make mistakes we don’t even realize are mistakes. I will share two of mine now. Fortunately, I realized they were mistakes!

I was visiting my mother in Denver, while she had some serious surgery. I was treating her with energy healing, ahead of and after the surgery, to shorten the recovery time–which worked! I was staying in her house, for a week, while she was in the hospital 3 minutes away. MISTAKE #1: I realized Mom had a magazine photo cutout, taped to her bedroom wall, slightly rumpled, of polar bears relaxing together. I thought it would look so much nicer in a frame. So out of love and good intentions, I purchased a frame and put the relaxing polar bears in it (as below- original photographer unknown). I then found what I thought was a great spot, and I placed the framed photo there. I was so pleased!

But when Mom came home, and I proudly showed her my gift of love, she said, “but before, they were right where I could see them every morning when I woke up. They lifted my day.” OOPS! Fortunately, I was able to not only apologize and explain myself, but to correct this mistake. And after Mom passed, the Estate gave me the polar bears. Now they are in my bedroom, and I see them, with love, when I wake up each morning.

During that same week of Mom’s surgery, I made MISTAKE #2, which revolved around furniture. Sometimes, you cannot repair a mistake, but you can apologize. Mom’s house was very clean and neat. I knew it was going on the market soon. So, being familiar with Feng Shui, I began absent-mindedly adjusting the positions of the living room chairs. They had been placed to roughly form a social square, but at strange angles. I started correcting them to face in the 8 Feng Shui Directions, and I got into a snarl. I got to a point where two lamps could no longer be plugged in, so there was no local lighting in that area. OH maybe that’s why the arrangement had been done the way it had? And there were a couple of other problems I created with my well-meaning, helpful efforts. I tried to put the furniture back and simply could not restore the strange angles. OOPS! I did the best I could, but I felt terribly guilty. I was due back at the hospital, and I confessed all to Mom, saying I was out of line and I was SO SORRY. I was astonished that she waved her hand casually and said, “oh, that’s fine—don’t worry about it.” She really was unconcerned. Whew!

By the way, I did a clearly Good Thing that week. I found the correct color paint in the basement and repainted a wall that somehow was only half painted. Score 1 for helpfulness!

So when you make a mistake, do you admit it and try to fix it? And apologize? If you don’t do these things, you’ll feel guilty. And guilt depresses the parasympathetic nervous system for hours after one guilty thought! So handle it as well as you can, for both good relationships and good health. And that will be you, ever more Healthy Happy and Loving Life^sm!

Kebba Buckley Button is a stress/energy 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!

Books by Kebba Buckley Button

Healthy Happy Loving Life: Beat Stress With Laughs

15 Friday Jul 2022

Posted by Kebba Buckley Button in Dealing with stress, Effective Living, Feeling energized, Humor, Laughing, Laughing at stress, Lifestyle, No Stress Entrepreneurship, stress, Uncategorized

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Beat stress, choices, energy, Feeling energized, joy, Laughing, laughing at stress, laughs, stress, Stress Management

Photographer unknown

One of the funniest and most endearing videos rippling around the Internet currently is a tiny movie about the tiniest black pig (“Kingsford the Piglet Goes for a Swim”). The piglet is smaller than a woman’s foot, jet black, eager, and passionate to be included with his humans. Watch this video once, and you’ll feel so charmed, you’ll have to watch it again. The piglet’s antics make you laugh. Another video is YouTube’s “Dancing Bulldog”, in which a small bulldog is evidently boogeying to some fun music. Of all the videos I have seen in recent months, I laughed the hardest at “Silent Monks Hallelujah Chorus”, in which cards are held up to encourage the audience to sing along. Impish variations surprise and make you laugh. What videos or movies have made you laugh?

-Image by megapixl

Laughter feels good! It makes you relax, from your muscles to your skin to your attitude. Laughing very hard can cause you to clutch your spasming abdomen, gasp for breath, drool a bit, and wipe your teary eyes. A good, hearty laugh can make you feel refreshed, even totally rested. And there are medical benefits: higher DHEA, improved immune function (fewer allergies and illnesses with regular laughter) and better blood vessel function leading to better blood pressure than when you are stressed. However, researchers say the medical benefits are hard to measure. Rather, it is easier to observe the social benefits of laughter: it is both symptomatic of happy relationships and contagious, creating more social connection and happiness (Robert Provine, Laughter: A Scientific Investigation, Penguin Books, 2001). Women laugh about a quarter more than men. Those who say they laugh a lot also tend to be in good health. Laughter therapy is used for cancer patients, who find it helps their quality of life. Laughter can increase the release of endorphins, the anti-stress brain chemicals that can lessen pain and stiffness.

Laughter is a part of our makeup. Babies start laughing when they are as young as 10 weeks. And adults are immediately drawn in, trying to see what they can do to get the baby to laugh again. Watch a normally calm parent of a 3-month-old, making faces and tickling the baby, producing any noise or gesture that will make the little one laugh. The urge to get a laugh is right up there with the urge to laugh.

Yet there can be a poignant edge to humor—a place where discomfort can be portrayed in a way that makes us laugh and discharge that discomfort. A popular expression is, “You have to laugh to keep from crying!” Folk wisdom advises us to shrug off or laugh off our troubles. Comedienne Ellen Degeneres made her early career describing uncomfortable events from everyday life, in a comical way, with a mournful look. She delivered her vignettes in ways that made people laugh, and laugh, and laugh. In recent years, she has had a top-rated television show, Ellen, many endorsements and guest host opportunities, and an estimated income of $45 million per year. People can relate to her humor. She makes them laugh, and this has built her success. People need to laugh at their troubles.

Not long ago, Dr. Phil McGraw ran a show about comedians who transformed terrible personal pain into comedy. The episode of Dr. Phil highlighted two comedians, Darrell Hammond and Chris Titus. Each overcame horrific backgrounds to become well-known and successful in comedy. Darrell Hammond is now the author of a book, God, If You’re Not Up There, I’m F***ed. His humor has helped many to laugh at their troubles and take a lighter view. Chris Titus knows humor can literally be lifesaving: a fan who was about to kill himself accidentally sat on his TV controller, and the TV popped on to a Chris Titus performance. The fan began to laugh and changed his mind about killing himself.

What makes you laugh until you cry? Do that more! And that will be you, ever more Healthy Happy and Loving Life^sm!

Books by Kebba Buckley Button

Happy Healthy Loving Life: Overwhelmed?

09 Saturday Jul 2022

Posted by Kebba Buckley Button in Dealing with stress, Effective Living, Kebba Buckley Button, Overwhelm, stress

≈ 7 Comments

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energy, fatigue, Feeling energized, fulfilled, Healthy Happy Loving Life, Overwhelm, Overwhelmed, stress, stuck

-Image by megapixl

I often hear people talking about feeling overwhelmed. They describe feeling stressed, confused, fearful, overcome by events, or even lost. They say they are exhausted and have trouble making decisions. If you are overwhelmed right now, what would you describe as the cause? Do you have too much going on with work, too much in your personal life, or an intense circumstance that takes all you have emotionally?

Merriam-Webster defines “overwhelm” as “upset, overthrow”, or “overcome by superior force”, even “overpowered in thought or feeling.” So wouldn’t it be great to take power over this uncomfortable condition? My friend Michael Price says you can do just that.

Michael is a consultant and trainer, and the creator of the program, “Your Powerful Mind Revealed”. He helps people to realize and harness the power of their minds, to deal effectively with situations and feelings that may have left them feeling helpless in the past. Michael says one of our most powerful tools is harnessing our self-talk, which may be working against our success and happiness much of the time. For example, if you have too much to do, you may feel overwhelmed. Yet you may realize you know others who are equally busy who do not feel overwhelmed. In this case, Michael recommends you ask yourself if you really have too much to do in too little time, in which case you might consider cutting back. Or, he asks, is the background chatter in your brain making the situation seem bad? Your self-talk may be in unnecessary panic mode, urging you to be upset and feel incapable. Your inner chatter may be saying things like, “I’ll never get all this done! This is too much for the time I have! My mind doesn’t work fast enough to get all this done! I seem to get more and more assignments each month!” This self-talk only increases your sense of being overwhelmed. You can change that.

Michael says overwhelm “is really an emotional reaction to our visual and mental perception of our workload.” Further, he says, “Thoughts create emotion, and emotion dictates behavior.” So continuing to believe we are overwhelmed only increases the sensation of overwhelm. Michael also says procrastination is a big factor for those who feel overwhelmed. He recommends we ask ourselves three questions:

Is this overwhelm, or is it simply the result of my procrastinating?
Did I really commit to too much?
Did I misjudge the time and resources this project would take?

Michael says, then, we are ready to prioritize, using his system to take the emotional charge out of the process, and start knocking out the list of projects. Don’t let your self-talk distract you from the tasks at hand. Take control instead of reacting. You’ll find you have less stress and more productivity. Now go and do, and succeed!

In my daily series this month, I hope to strongly convince you that positive living, using holistic tools, is the way to be, and that it results in greater health and happiness and joy. It’s more fun! And that would be you, ever more Healthy Happy and Loving Life^sm!

Books by Kebba Buckley Button

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Healthy Happy Loving Life: Milestones and Gratitude

30 Saturday Apr 2022

Posted by Kebba Buckley Button in beating cancer, Dealing with stress, loss of a spouse, stress, Stress Management, the life you want

≈ 5 Comments

Tags

beating cancer, Gratitude, Kebba Buckley Button, loss of a spouse, Practice gratitude, The life you want, UpBeat Living

Today marks a few milestones, and I celebrate my growth and life with rich exuberance– for a quiet person. Nine months ago, my husband passed to Heaven, and I became a widow. It’s all right– he was released from terrible pain, and it was his Time. It’s not quite like when I was single before marriage. There is a greater depth now, to my friendships, especially with those who have lost their spouses or other loved ones. Life has a richer texture somehow. I had my husband’s diamond wedding ring resized for me. It’s beautiful.

Today marks 10 months since I had cancer surgery and began a close relationship with the Mayo Clinic. I have chemo every 4 weeks, but only several cycles are left. I am shocking the doctors with my lack of side effects. I have all my hair and no digestive issues. But I remind them, I do energy therapy on myself daily, and I don’t eat a normal American diet. My diet is mainly organic and based on green salads and vegetables and fruits, not grains. I am now able to lift and drive. My true strength is coming back, and I am hardly ever dizzy. My mind is clear. What a relief! I am almost ready to unearth my treadmill, which I love. Over half the files and superfluous Stuff have left the house. I’m still joyfully working on clearing. It wouldn’t bother me for my home to look like the After of an HGTV project.

The UBC blog challenges–30 articles every 3 months– have helped me to have structure in this time of transition. I wrote daily through the August, November, January, and now April challenges. I got to know very interesting writers from various regions of the US and from a few distant countries. I became friends with a few. I did spiritual counseling by text more than once. I sent tiny garden gloves (hard to find!) to a 3-year-old blogger, Lia, and she later sent me tea and homemade zucchini lemon cake. Lia named the rooster painting in my kitchen when I ran a contest– he’s called “Sunshine”, so when I walk into the kitchen in the morning I can say, “Good morning, Sunshine!”

This month, I studied poetry with Vidya Tiru, painting with Amanda Trought, Lily Leung and Alice Girard, retirement plans with Roy Ackerman, spiritual topics with Victoria Juster, and homesteading with Laurie Cover. I went to State Capitols with Samantha Griffin Taki. I studied coffees (yum!) with Tamara Gerber-Stutz, and homemade cooking with Melinda Egger Brown. I learned ingredient swaps for healthy cooking from (Dr.) Dominique Brooks and got vegan recipes from Kimberly Winters. I was inspired by the kitchen refurb Martha DeMeo pulled off; I got gardening inspiration and delicious recipes and so much more from this dear friend. I studied content writing with Bing Aranzano. One extraordinary week, I got to meet Florence Callender, the learning/dyslexia expert, in person, when she came to my city for a conference. We had great fun taking photos of us both– in the same shot! I studied creativity with Julie JordanScott. And of course, I learned cool blogging/blogsite/website pointers from Paul Taubman, The Digital Maestro and our cheerful leader for the UBC.

For the April challenge, I wrote entirely new material every day, and I was more bold in telling my truth. I found I was in The Flow more than ever before. I got noticed, liked, and followed by people I had never heard of. The new material has stoked my Ring of Fire and my healing practice. I’m seeing clients again and working at a higher level. I wonder what will happen in the July challenge??

So this is my last piece for a couple of months. I’m turning my attention to writing for my new website. I hope, in this series, I have greatly convinced many that positive living is the way to be, and it results in greater health and happiness and joy. And that would be me and you, shaping our lives anew, ever more Healthy Happy and Loving Life^sm!

Books by Kebba Buckley Button

Healthy Happy Loving Life: Wordless Wednesday Amazing Skies

27 Wednesday Apr 2022

Posted by Kebba Buckley Button in Dealing with stress, Effective Living, Kebba Buckley Button, LifeTools, skies, stress, the life you want, transform your energy, UpBeat Living

≈ 8 Comments

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Beat stress, Dealing with stress, Energy Transformation Sessions, Healthy Happy Loving Life, Kebba Buckley Button, LifeTools, skies, stress, The life you want, transform your energy, UpBeat Living

© Kebba Buckley Button, MS, OM. World Rights Reserved.

To study the skies is to witness the miracles of Nature. And whenever we witness miracles, we are transformed. These are all unedited images captured by me. The daytime photo looks almost upside down, as if we are looking at rippling water. The mystic crescent Moon is unusual in the sharpness of the image. The night sky with cloud puffs is a rare view. Then, we have the Full Moon peering out from between trees. Enjoy!

Fall in love with the skies and you will see many miracles. And seeing miracles will lift your vibration and enliven you! Then that will move you more and more into being Healthy Happy and Loving Life^sm! And that is what I want for you!

Kebba Buckley Button is a stress management expert, holistic healer, and award-winning author who celebrates life. She has a 30-year 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!

Books by Kebba Buckley Button

Healthy Happy Loving Life: Wordless Wednesday Superlative Skies

20 Wednesday Apr 2022

Posted by Kebba Buckley Button in Dealing with stress, Effective Living, Kebba Buckley Button, LifeTools, skies, stress, the life you want, UpBeat Living

≈ 9 Comments

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Beat stress, Dealing with stress, Healthy Happy Loving Life, Kebba Buckley Button, LifeTools, skies, stress, The life you want, UpBeat Living

To study the skies is to witness the miracles of Nature. And whenever we witness miracles, we are transformed.

Fall in love with the skies and you will see many miracles. And that will move you ever more into being Healthy Happy and Loving Life^sm! And that is what I want for you!

Books by Kebba Buckley Button

Healthy Happy Loving Life: National Stress Month

19 Tuesday Apr 2022

Posted by Kebba Buckley Button in Dealing with stress, Effective Living, Kebba Buckley Button, LifeTools, National Stress Month, stress, the life you want, UpBeat Living, weight loss

≈ 2 Comments

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Beat stress, Dealing with stress, Healthy Happy Loving Life, Kebba Buckley Button, LifeTools, National Stress Month, stress, The life you want, UpBeat Living

-Image by megapixl

It’s April 2022, and it’s National Stress Month! If you think life is stressful in the US, in Spring 2022, you are not alone! If you think it’s more stressful now than in a long time, you are not alone. If you think we are living in unusual times, you are with the majority. The American Psychological Association regularly conducts a Stress In America poll, which they began in 2007. And this year, I was very excited to see the results, because they match what I see in my stress management practice. The latest APA results were published in March, yes, 35 days ago. How stressed people feel and what they are stressed about has changed! Here are some key points from the APA’s press release:

More adults are stressed about inflation and the invasion of Ukraine that any other issue covered in the 15-year history of this key poll.
Two thirds of adults reported their lives had been forever changed by the Pandemic.
People’s main concerns, all reported by 80% or more, are inflation, supply chain issues (will there be toilet paper tomorrow?), Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, and potential retaliation from Russia, including cyberattacks.

The CEO of APA, Arthur C. Evans, Jr., says:

The number of people who say they’re significantly stressed about these most recent events is stunning relative to what we’ve seen since we began the survey in in 2007…we’re now reaching unprecedented levels of stress that will challenge our ability to cope.

-image by megapixl”

From my longtime energy healing practice, I ask you: how are YOU dealing with these issues? And how are you dealing with your relationships, with everyone so stressed out? Be sure you’re taking care of yourself in the Big Three areas:

Eating healthfully
Exercising
Getting quality sleep

If you want more tips, check out my hundreds of free articles online, through this blog. Or check out the practices in my books (shown below). They offer an array of ways to trade in your stress for energy, find and deepen your personal peace, and learn to meditate for deep relaxation and spiritual connection.

And any practices you incorporate as LifeTools^smwill move you ever more into being Healthy Happy and Loving Life^sm! And that is what I want for you!

Books by Kebba Buckley Button

Healthy Happy Loving Life: Milestones Since My Life Turned On A Dime

31 Monday Jan 2022

Posted by Kebba Buckley Button in beating cancer, Dealing with stress, loss of a spouse, stress, Stress Management, the life you want

≈ 10 Comments

Tags

beating cancer, Grief, Grieving, Kebba Buckley Button, loss of a spouse, The life you want, UpBeat Living

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 Life^sm!

Books by Kebba Buckley Button

Healthy Happy Loving Life!

~ Your source for energized, fulfilled, joyous living!

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