Today my best friend gave birth to a beautiful, bundle of joy. His little face appeared on my phone in the early hours of the morning and I cried with joy. He was here in this world, safe and healthy, and my wonderful friend made it through the tough and exhausting journey to get him here. Seeing his little screwed up face filled me with so much happiness. So much love. So much hope.
Fast forward to 13 hours later and I was given the news that a friend’s husband hadn’t survived his fight with pancreatic cancer. He was diagnosed late and sadly the cancer had spread. He wasn’t given much time and nor were his family. I’m not overly close to this friend, more of an acquaintance really, and I had never met her husband. But this news kicked me in the stomach and winded me. I’ve never had a reaction like this before. I’m not sure if it’s all a bit raw for me at the moment or whether the blow was harder because it hit me up on cloud 9.
It got me thinking about birth, death and the time that lies in between. Some of us are sadly dealt a shorter time span on this earth, whereas others are given the opportunity to grow old and grey. We had no control over when we were born and we have no control over when we will die but the time in between is all ours. May we use it wisely, doing the things that we love, with the people we cherish. Who knows when the ticking hands will stop but let’s enjoy it whilst the motor is still running.
CAKE AWAY CANCER 