09/25/2026
I don’t often share much about myself here beyond the flowers and the garden, but this feels important.
I am recovering from a recent double mastectomy after being diagnosed with breast cancer for the second time—in just two years. After all the treatment and steps I took the first time, I was told a recurrence this soon happens to only about 1 percent of women in my situation. I never imagined being in that small group.
Thankfully, it was found early. Even when finding it early still means major surgery, it gives us the chance to treat it before it has the opportunity to spread. All the more reason to keep up with your screenings and follow-up appointments, even when you think you’ve done everything right. Please make time for yourself. You matter to so many people.
And those people—my goodness. Friends and family have come from near and far to care for me and support Jeff. Being on the receiving end of so much love makes me so grateful.
After my sister Kathleen stayed several days, Gerrianne, one of my best friends since childhood, came all the way from Rhode Island to help. Yesterday, she encouraged me to take a very short walk out to the garden, where she cut zinnias for me so they would keep blooming in the coming weeks.
She knows that tending the garden is also a way of tending to me. That a few minutes among the flowers can help me feel a little more like myself.
There is something so special about a friend who has known you almost your whole life, understands where you go to find healing, and helps you get there.
