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: Wordless Wednesday God Rays and Sunrise Bright

27 Wednesday Jul 2022

Posted by Kebba Buckley Button in Effective Living, Feeling energized, Health, Healthy Happy Loving Life, in the Flow, Kebba Buckley Button, skygazing, stress, Stress Management, the life you want

≈ 4 Comments

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Discover The Secret Energized You, Feeling energized, Healthy Happy Loving Life, joy, skygazing, UpBeat Living

Phoenix image by Kebba Buckley Button–

NW Las Vegas image by Marcia Griffeth, used by permission–

Look at both these images as large/ly as you can. Skygazing is fun! Plus, it resets your brain. And that would be you, even more awesome, and 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: Sunrise Sunday

24 Sunday Jul 2022

Posted by Kebba Buckley Button in Effective Living, Feeling energized, Health, Healthy Happy Loving Life, in the Flow, Kebba Buckley Button, skygazing, stress, Stress Management, the life you want

≈ 8 Comments

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Discover The Secret Energized You, Healthy Happy Loving Life, skygazing, UpBeat Living

This image is the Sun rising over Cabo, this week. A friend was celebrating a big birthday and photographer Carol Young managed to capture this! Skygazing is fun! Plus, it resets your DHEA, the master hormone, and your brain. And that would be you, ever more Healthy Happy and Loving Life^sm!

Books by Kebba Buckley Button

Healthy Happy Loving Life: Wordless Wednesday Sky Curves

20 Wednesday Jul 2022

Posted by Kebba Buckley Button in Effective Living, Feeling energized, Health, Healthy Happy Loving Life, in the Flow, Kebba Buckley Button, skygazing, stress, Stress Management, the life you want

≈ 2 Comments

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Discover The Secret Energized You, Healthy Happy Loving Life, skygazing, UpBeat Living

Images by Kebba Buckley Button.

Skygazing is fun! Plus, it resets your brain. And that would be you, ever more Healthy Happy and Loving Life^sm!

Books by Kebba Buckley Button

Healthy Happy Loving Life: Happy Bastille (Freedom) Day, July 14th!

14 Thursday Jul 2022

Posted by Kebba Buckley Button in Bastille Day, Feeling energized, French National Day July 14th, Healthy Happy Loving Life, Kebba Buckley Button

≈ 6 Comments

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at choice, Bastille Day, freedom, French National Day July 14th, Healthy Happy Loving Life, positive living, UpBeat Living

Image by megapixl

Happy Bastille Day! July 14^th is the anniversary of the storming of a fortress called The Bastille, in Paris, in 1789. This day has become a freedom holiday, celebrated with fireworks the night before, and on the 14^th, every festival activity you can think of. This holiday is also called French National Day (Fete Nationale), or The Fourteenth of July (Quatorze Juillet).

Many have passed the story that the Bastille was a prison, and a mob broke into the prison to set political and economic prisoners free. However, at that time, the Bastille was mainly a fortress where munitions were stored, and only a few political prisoners were typically held. On the day of the storming of the Bastille, there were exactly 7 prisoners: four forgers, the Comte de Solanges (being held for a “sexual misdemeanor”), and two mentally ill men. One of the two mentally ill men was an English or Irish man who had a very long beard and thought he was Julius Caesar. Yes, the prisoners were set free, with the overtaking of the fortress.

However, think of this day more as the 1789 kickoff of the French Revolution and a new life for France. The economy under King Louis XVI (Sixteenth) was suffering, and Louis was a weak king. The rich were deep in financial excess and luxury living, while the general populace was suffering. So what the stormers of the Bastille really wanted was to seize the munitions, to stage a coup. Eventually, they not only took over the country, but they beheaded King Louis, and later they beheaded his famous wife, Marie Antoinette.

Today, you cannot go visit the Bastille. It was completely dismantled and the stones dispersed! Some of the stones went into street paving and some into other buildings. Some stones were taken as souvenirs (and I would have taken one for sure). Today there is an elegant monument where the fortress stood. And pieces of the stone works are highlighted around the City, for example, in a subway station.

So this day is the day when the life of France pivoted on an action by the people. The monarchy was out, and popular rule was in. Some see this movement as related to the momentum for the American Colonies to separate from England, a few years earlier. And look what happened on that continent!

So happy French National Day! Think of your own freedoms, and give thanks for them! And that will be you, ever more Healthy Happy and Loving Life^sm!

Books by Kebba Buckley Button

Healthy Happy Loving Life: Clouds After A Storm for Wordless Wednesday

13 Wednesday Jul 2022

Posted by Kebba Buckley Button in Effective Living, Feeling energized, Health, Healthy Happy Loving Life, in the Flow, Kebba Buckley Button, skygazing, stress, Stress Management, the life you want

≈ 11 Comments

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Discover The Secret Energized You, Healthy Happy Loving Life, skygazing, UpBeat Living

After a recent storm, I was blessed to catch this view of “God Rays” breaking through the clouds. Have a beautiful day wherever you are!

Skygazing is fun! Plus, it resets your brain. And that would be you, ever more Healthy Happy and Loving Life^sm!

Books by Kebba Buckley Button

Healthy Happy Loving Life: Spirit of Summer

08 Friday Jul 2022

Posted by Kebba Buckley Button in Effective Living, Feeling energized, Health, Healthy Happy Loving Life, in the Flow, Kebba Buckley Button, light-hearted, stress, Stress Management, Summer, the life you want

≈ 6 Comments

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Healthy Happy Loving Life, In-joy-meant, light-hearted, Summer, The life you want, UpBeat Living

Today I am breaking pace. I am entering entirely into the Spirit of Summer. I need to be in the lighthearted appreciation of simple sights, sounds, and smells that feel like the best Summer day of anyone’s childhood. In that spirit, here are three little pieces from three of the World’s most reknowned writers/poets. See if these take you to the feeling of an ideal, dreamy Summer’s day. And that’s IN-JOY-MEANT, where the Soul is at home.

Poem by Hafez (Persian poet)

Even

After

All this time

The Sun never says to the Earth

“You owe me.”

Look

What happens

With a love like that.

It lights the whole sky.

Poem by Rumi (Sufi poet)

Only from

The heart

Can you

Touch the

Sky.

Poem by Ralph Waldo Emerson

This is my wish for you:

Comfort on difficult days,

smiles when sadness intrudes,

Rainbows to follow the clouds

laughter to kiss your lips,

sunsets to warm your heart,

hugs when spirits sag,

beauty for your eyes to see,

friendships to brighten your being,

faith so that you can believe,

confidence for when you doubt,

courage to know yourself,

patience to accept the truth,

Love to complete your life.

Does your heart feel a summery lightness now? We all need that. 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. And it’s more fun! And that would be you, ever more Healthy Happy and Loving Life^sm!

Books by Kebba Buckley Button

Happy Healthy Loving Life: World Chocolate Day 2022

07 Thursday Jul 2022

Posted by Kebba Buckley Button in Chocolate, Dark chocolate, Feeling energized, Health, Kebba Buckley Button, stress, UpBeat Living, World Chocolate Day July 7th

≈ 6 Comments

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chocolate, Dark chocolate, Feeling energized, Health, Healthy Happy Loving Life, Kebba Buckley Button, UpBeat Living, World Chocolate Day July 7th

© 2022 Kebba Buckley Button, MS, OM. World Rights Reserved. Happy World Chocolate Day! Today, July 7, is a special day to celebrate the tasty treats that contain chocolate in any of many forms– desserts, savory sauces (such as mole’), candies, dipped strawberries or apricots, smoothies, frozen goodies… The list is endless. And wonder of wonders, this substance is good for you– or can be, without too much added sugar or fat.

This practice– Healthy Happy and Loving Life^sm— emphasizes the positive in all possible ways. And today, we celebrate the health benefits of chocolate! Yes, it’s true! When you think of chocolate, you can think of it—dark chocolate, anyway—as a health food. Remember, the Inca Indians discovered it and drank it hot, without sweetening, hundreds of years ago.

A number of medical studies have shown that modern people can use it for health. Without being too technical, here are some of the great ways dark chocolate serves the body:

Provides antioxidant power, which gives you energy and fights free radicals, thus reducing risk of heart disease. Note that milk may interfere with the absorption of the antioxidants.
Lowers mild high blood pressure.
Cleans teeth well, when you brush with cocoa powder on your wet toothbrush.
Is associated with drastically lower occurrence of major diseases, when consumed as natural hot cocoa. These diseases include: stroke, heart failure, cancer, and diabetes. Natural cocoa, as cacao, has a very high level of epicatchin, a type of antioxidant that some believe should be classified as a vitamin. Epicatachin is also found in some teas, wine, and some fruits and vegetables.
Can strengthen tissue and help build muscle, due to the epicatachin.

You people who love white chocolate or milk chocolate can keep eating it as a treat. Dark chocolate lovers, this is your time! Snack on dark chocolate bars, especially organic, and put dark chocolate chips in those cookies. Stir natural cocoa powder, or cacao, into your smoothies, and make your own low-fat snack bars. Look for chocolate-coated kale chips! Enjoy your increased vitality! Are you feeling energized now? So what are you waiting for? Go blend a smoothie with 2 tablespoons of high quality cacao powder! Join with the World in celebrating this delicious food!

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

Books by Kebba Buckley Button

Healthy Happy Loving Life: Arizona Sky Views for Wordless Wednesday

06 Wednesday Jul 2022

Posted by Kebba Buckley Button in Effective Living, Feeling energized, Health, Healthy Happy Loving Life, in the Flow, Kebba Buckley Button, skygazing, stress, Stress Management, the life you want

≈ 8 Comments

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Discover The Secret Energized You, Healthy Happy Loving Life, skygazing, UpBeat Living

Arizona Summer skies either look solid blue or are patterned with fascinating clouds. It’s our “monsoon” season. Here we have a bird 70′ high in a eucalyptus, a beautiful and rainy sky, and a very rare appearance of clouds emulating sand dunes. Have a beautiful day wherever you are!

Skygazing is fun! Plus, it resets your brain. And that would be you, ever more Healthy Happy and Loving Life^sm!

Books by Kebba Buckley Button

Healthy Happy Loving Life!

~ Your source for energized, fulfilled, joyous living!

Tag Archives: UpBeat Living

Healthy Happy Loving Life: Chemo Mission Complete!

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

Healthy Happy Loving Life: Wordless Wednesday God Rays and Sunrise Bright

Healthy Happy Loving Life: Sunrise Sunday

Healthy Happy Loving Life: Wordless Wednesday Sky Curves

Healthy Happy Loving Life: Happy Bastille (Freedom) Day, July 14th!

Healthy Happy Loving Life: Clouds After A Storm for Wordless Wednesday

Healthy Happy Loving Life: Spirit of Summer

Poem by Hafez (Persian poet)

Poem by Rumi (Sufi poet)

Happy Healthy Loving Life: World Chocolate Day 2022

Healthy Happy Loving Life: Arizona Sky Views for Wordless Wednesday

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Poem by Hafez (Persian poet)

Poem by Rumi (Sufi poet)

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