We were getting closer to home and I still didn't have the answers I was looking for. Those familiar feelings of terror and isolation came rushing back. I knew I would have to put on a happy face again for my family.
A clear symbol of hope
We turned another corner and there it was, at the end of the trail in a clearing – a single beautiful yellow daffodil. I felt a warm feeling wash all over me. It was a symbol of hope – the same symbol that was on the church bulletin on the weekend I was diagnosed with the cancer I thought I would never beat. I knew it was the sign I was looking for.
I called my dog and we ran the rest of the way home. I hid the painted eggs around the house and went upstairs to wake the girls. They got up giggling and grabbed their baskets. I had an especially warm glow in my heart that no one else needed to know about. They wouldn't understand.
That beautiful flower was a signal to change. My first marriage couldn't withstand all of the struggles and we divorced in 2002 after 23 years of marriage. I have since remarried and have a wonderful second husband (Darren) and two stepsons (Curtis and Spencer), in addition to my two beautiful daughters.
After completing my social work diploma, I earned my bachelor of arts degree in 2005. I now work as an academic adviser at the University of the Fraser Valley in Abbotsford.
I am living my life to the fullest, grabbing opportunities wherever and whenever I can. I have whale-watched off the coast of B.C., ridden an elephant in Thailand, taught English in China and climbed ruins in Guatemala. I plan to keep on living, learning and giving back.
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