1 Year Survivor

A joyful note: One year ago today, I had surgery for breast cancer. The surgery was followed by 33 radiation treatments.  Last month, my first annual post-surgery mammogram showed no signs of cancer.
 In this past year, by God's grace, I have kept the faith and aimed for Christian love and peace with people. I have enjoyed family and friends, eaten better, exercised, appreciated rest, and limited my interaction with toxic folks and stress. The 3rd novel is progressing. God has deeply blessed me, and I praise Him.
Color me thankful,
Sylvia
www.sylviabrownroberts.com

Lunch and Writing

Today I had lunch with and did a library tour with EB, a nineteen year-old Christian young lady. She writes, and she writes a lot of the time. In fact, she sets a good example for me with the amount of writing she does. We discussed our current writing projects and how we each handle writer's block. Our writing genres are different, but our desire to put words down on paper is the same. I like to hear from young people. I may not understand or agree with everything they say, but they do give me a fresh perspective on creativity.
Thanks, young Miss EB!
Sylvia
www.sylviabrownroberts.com

Unfriendly Pothole

My most recent blog post here, dated 2/20/14 was titled "Potholes." There's an old saying, "Be careful what you wish for. You might just get it." Well, I didn't wish to hit a pothole, but I did post two pictures of friendly potholes. I wrote about ways to avoid potholes. Two days after my blog post, I met an unfriendly pothole and failed to navigate clearly around it. Now, I have a broken tie rod.
The blessing are:
I wasn't doing 55 mph on the highway when it happened.
I was able to coast into a snow bank off to the side out of a traffic lane.
It was during the daylight and it was warm outside.
I was not far from home and two of my friends' homes were in walking distance.
I have AAA Road Assistance.
Prompted by a call from my sister, a friend came by, got in the car and we chatted while waiting for the tow truck.
A local minister walked by and offered assistance. A church building is a few yards from where I parked.
AAA came came in less than 20 minutes, put my car on a flatbed, left it in front of my  house.
My sister picked me up to attend a scheduled fundraiser that night, since my car was broken.
Our mechanic is fixing the car today.
My husband drove me to my appointments today.
God is good and color me thankful.
Smiles,
Sylvia
www.sylviabrownroberts.com

Potholes

My newest sport is dodging potholes. In NJ and PA and other states where there's been lots of freezing and thawing, plowing and rock-salting, potholes have appeared. There's an art to avoiding them, but you have to be really alert. Driving strategies: straddle the pothole(s), go to the left or right-but watch out for vehicles in the other lanes, slowly creep into the potholes that look shallow. None of these strategies, however, is foolproof. I confess that I've hit one or two potholes in the last few days. I hope my little hoopty (car) holds up as we wait for spring and more permanent road repairs than quick patch up jobs. How many potholes have you met up close and personal today? Here are two that were friendly to my car.

 

Smiles, Sylvia
www.sylviabrownroberts.com
                                                                                                          

 

A Child's Request

I saw a video clip yesterday. It was timely, because it showed a reaction to the cold and snowy weather we've been having this winter. It was appealing because it displayed the innocence and faith of a child who has been taught about the power of  God.  The video shows a little boy in full snowsuit garb. This 4 year-old boy wields his child-sized shovel against the snow outside. The snow is hard and unyielding. The child's breath-clouds mark his efforts in the cold. He quickly becomes frustrated. He throws the shovel down, clasps his hands with fingers interlocked under his chin, and looks up at the sky. He hollers his request, "Jesus, make it warm!"
God bless the children.
Smiles,
Sylvia
www.sylviabrownroberts

Triceps

I ventured out in the snow leftovers today to get in a workout at the gym. I don't know if I'll be able to go tomorrow because of the prospect of even more snow, or a wintry mix, as the weatherpersons report. Don't they get really hyped about the prospect of precipitation?
Our Curves gym now offers video workouts by Jillean Michaels built into the circuit training. I've been trying it out, and it works. The exercises are not always easy, but I feel some muscles that have been quiet for awhile. Today's muscle "rediscovery"- my triceps.   On the floor with my legs out, knees bent, feet on the floor. My arms are at my sides near each hip, fingers facing forward. I lift my bottom off the floor, using my arms for support. HELLO TRICEPS! I was too proud to holler, so I kept it up. By the end of the repetitions, I could feel my triceps muscle memory clicking into place. I wanted to quit, but I didn't. I plan to meet up with this routine again this week, and I'll continue until it becomes less hard. That's the way to build muscle. I'll never look like trainer Jillean, but I'll have stronger muscles and the satisfaction of knowing I didn't quit.
Isn't that one of the major points in life- to try your best at doing what's good and not quit?
Stay strong,
Sylvia
www.sylviabrownroberts.com

Jillean Michaels

Are You Ok?

While I was in a class recently, the teacher brought up the case of Joyce Vincent in order to make a point.  Joyce was a young woman who died in her North London apartment in 2003. Incredibly, her body wasn't discovered for three years. For three years, no one seemed aware she was gone from this life. Joyce was discovered during an eviction event due to nonpayment of rent. Her remains were found on the sofa. The television was still on. There was a pile of mail on the floor that had been delivered through the mail slot. She had a family, friends, associates. Didn't anyone miss her? This is a haunting case, and it raises so many questions about how lives in this society can be so disconnected from others.
One of the things that came to mind were the words of my late father to his children: "I know you children are grown and on your own, but remember to keep in touch and let somebody know where you are."
Think about this: if you were out of touch/missing for an unusual amount of time, who would be the first person to come looking for you? If you can automatically name that person, with conviction, you are blessed. Some of us are so blessed that we can name many people who'd come looking for us, right? More blessings.
Info about the Joyce Vincent docudrama can be found at www.dreamsofalife.com
Take care. Stay connected.
Sylvia
www.sylviabrownroberts.com