August 15th, 2010

This time next week Aaron will be back in school, as a senior! Wow, high school flew by! My prayer this summer was that Aaron would be able to relax and enjoy his time away from school. He had not been able to do that for quite sometime. He told me last week that it has been such a great summer! You can imagine that just made my heart so full to know my prayer was answered.

Someone asked me a few days ago how are we "really" doing? My response was "today is a good day." When you are healing emotionally it is a day-to-day walk. I would say we are finding our way pretty well, but there are triggers that can take you back to a certain place and time and spur a memory that can bring on the tears, and I don't think that will ever change.

I am realizing that the first year after you lose someone you love will be a year of many tearful " firsts." The first holiday, birthday, anniversary and even the first day of school for your children can be very emotional. I find that I often cry myself through those days but knowing that God always brings a fresh new day and a chance to begin again. I have also stopped worrying so much about the times I do grieve; in other words, I know that those times are to be expected, that they are very normal, and that they will pass.

Throughout this journey, I have always prayed for God to open doors to share and minister to others from my experiences over the past couple of years. I feel like I was blessed with one of those amazing opportunities this past weekend at the first luncheon and live taping for the National Pink Tie Organization.

Something like this organization is particularly close to my heart, because it's primary goal is to raise awareness, educate, and empower our community about cancer, especially among men. The organization is spearheaded by a man named Donald Crutch, who has an incredible vision and compassionate heart for people affected by cancer. He gave me the awesome opportunity to share about our family's journey from a caregiver's perspective. It is certainly a day I won't soon forget. I met so many people with a genuine love for God and for other people. We were all able to inspire each other through our diverse battles united by the common thread of cancer.

Nick used to always say, "Don't y'all forget me." Little did we know just 7 months down the road that Nick would be so prevalent in everything we do . It is an unexpected blessing that I am positive will hold true 7 years down the road (and well beyond!).

"Hope is the confident expectation that God has a plan for your life." - Pastor Stovall Weems

If that is the case, I am full of hope, and I pray you all are too!

Blessings,
Tammy

August 9th, 2011

I hope you will read my latest article about Palliative care and share it with someone that may be in need of it and doesn't realize it is out there and available for them. It was a great blessing to our family.

Every week through your emails, posts, comments etc... I receive such conformation that I am doing what God has set before me to do. Sometimes it comes from the most unlikely of sources, something will be written or spoken and it humbles me to know that the words I share from my heart are helping another person in some way. Thank you so much sharing your journey with me.

http://shannonmillerlifestyle.com/my-journey/palliative-care-ask-for-it

May God continue to bless you all abundantly with His unconditional love and grace.

Tammy

August 2nd, 2011

Hi Friends and Family,

In this weeks article I am sharing a little of my personal journey in my article and hopefully providing some ways to process and cope with being a caregiver to a terminal patient.

http://shannonmillerlifestyle.com/my-journey/terminal-what-does-it-mean

It is a difficult subject to write and read about. Unfortunately, it is very real and touches the lives of so many around us. With each article that is posted I get responses from readers that I know and don't know and how they are able to relate to something I am writing about, that it helps them to know they are not alone during this trying time in their own lives.

We are never alone in our journeys, especially the difficult ones. I pray for us all to have what I call the three F's of walking through the fire....Faith, Family and Friends!

Thank you for your continued support and have a great day!

Tammy

July 26th, 2011

New Article Posted today about using your voice and making the best choices for your loved ones as a Caregiver. Please read and share with others that you feel may need some guidance in this area. As always thank you for your support and taking the time to comment or share your story.

You can read the article at the following link:
http://shannonmillerlifestyle.com/my-journey/be-choosy


Have a wonderful day!

Tammy