Friends...they are the gift you give yourself!

Every day since I received my cancer diagnosed, something wonderful, heartbreakingly lovely has happened to me. 

I have learned who my true friends are.  They are the ones who said, you can call me at any time day or night to talk. They also call me, or text me. I do have wonderful friends.  Today, my friend Fred dropped by to deliver wood. Its turning from 60 and rainy to wintery snow and 30 by Wednesday.  I am truly blessed to have friends like Fred in my life.

I have told my drama filled friends that I am done with them. I could not see us having a good time, while I had to listen to their tale of woes. I have cancer, and I need all of my drama to stay with me. In the process I have lost a group of women I once said I would share my lotto winning (I am winning!) with. Most of those women have left me to fend for myself. Except for Gina who drops by, and emails me often.

My other friends from long ago have also resurfaced and have been so kind and wonderful to me--I am beyond thrilled to have them back in my life!  We still laugh at the same things and nothing has changed from the times I did see them in the 80s.

Everyone got married, moved out of town and lives went on...but now we are back!  YEAH!

I have one friend Laurie who has made it clear, I do not have to go through all of the emotions alone—she is there for me—and boy is she ever. Laurie is my salad maker...she makes the best and most delicious salads I have ever tasted. I am grateful for her and others who truly care about me.

It is dark out there...

Every year I ask this question and every year I get the same answers. It use to be because of farmers, now I have no idea why.  The question?  Why do we have to have daylights savings time?

The darkness makes it seem like the world is over at 5pm. Now, I'm asking you. Do you know why? I know it was changed to help with candy sales and Halloween. But how about helping people who don't like being in the dark.

Supreme Court is right, Corporations are just like (mean) people

In Feb of 2010, my mother fell at Bank of America because the sidewalk was broken and had not been shoveled completely.  When she fell she hurt her face, back, neck, legs and arms. (I have photos!) The bank and the carl warren company said they would pay for everything. I have it in writing!  Then, BOA fired them and got another company down south called Sedgewick.  These people have horrible customer service. It took them months to contact me. Only reason they did?  I screamed into the phone, I have breast cancer, so please answer me.  They did. It took only two hours.  (BTW, my mother was an employee and retired from BOA in the 90's)

I had already turned down 45, 000 from Carl Warren.  When she fell in Feb, our stock market account had 57,000 in it. Now, it would be over 75,000--but instead there is nothing. My mother and I paid out monies that I was told would be coming back to me. So, I didn't mind helping my mother, first she was my mother and second---I would be getting this money back. So, I put out 20,000 for two months in a home that her insurance would pay, but the woman who disliked my mother said, my mother didn't need to be in a home. She would be better at home...so I brought her home and paid 1,150 dollars a week for every week she lived-- (almost 14 weeks).

BOA said, yes of course we will pay for that!  But, they didn't. 

Now, BOA is paying me 10,000.  It seems the statue of limitations ran out in 2012.  We were still talking--and still talking today--but now they are giving me 10,000.  If the lawyers and BOA can get all of there ducks in a row and finally pay me a 10th of what they owe me.

I will do nothing towards BOA, but I do hope people will walk in and take their money out of their accounts and leave BOA in ruins, like they have tried to do to me.

So, the supreme court was right, corporation are just like people--some times they are mean like BOA...sometimes they are great like The Container Store.  If you would like to help me.

Please go to gofundme.com/leslieJ and give. Thank you!

My skin is falling off...

YUCK! It's just like getting a sunburn and having the burnt pieces fall off to reveal new skin underneath.  But, this time I didn't lie in the sun and read a book, or talk to my friends enjoying a great day.  I have spent the past 6 weeks, every week day getting radiation on my breast for I have breast cancer.

Now, what the doctor and nurse have been checking me out for the past 6 weeks has come to pass--my skin is falling off. It itches, and it doesn't hurt yet...but when the skin falls off I'm afraid it will hurt. My neck itches as well as the inside of my breast--but I can only scratch my neck. There is no help for the inside itch...except sleep.

So, today I pray, My Life is Fantastic, Thank YOU GOD.

Even though I am struggling financially and physically...everything is still good.

Courageous? Me?

I just had a phone call from a friend who left this message: "You are courageous and brave." I don't know about that---but it made me smile as I listened to it.  So, thank you.

Today, as I was taking a power nap on my porch, my 9 year old neighbor  Ian popped in and screamed in sheer terror as I said Hi.  He didn't see me on the couch, and fell to the ground.  The reason he came over was to make sure I saw the note he slipped in the mailbox.

"Did you hear banging on the front door?" he asked.

Maybe, Ian I did--hard to know I was napping. I thought.

No, I said. I didn't.

You have a note.

(The front said, 'Leslie' and inside 'hope you feel better' and was unsigned.)

Why didn't you sign it? I asked.

"It was suppose to be a surprise! Ian responded.

What a great kid.

Five minutes later Mom was yelling at the three of them for the mess they left in the kitchen after snacks. Mom--please write a book!!!!

Asking for HELP...again

I'm not the type of person who ever asks for help.  I do it all myself, until I can.t--and then I complain.  But I'm learning to ask for help--and trading services such as babysitting or my Skype organizing for what I need. 

Right now--here is what I need:

My gutters cleaned, my lawn raked and a trip to the dump.  That's what I need for the outside--for the inside I need my basement cleaned and painted and made into a place where I can do my art. I also need a car that works, and of course my whole house painted inside...

But, the first thing I need to do is get to radiation so I can fight my biggest battle so far--getting rid of my breast cancer. Only 18 more sessions to go. Yeah...everything I know will get done in due time--except my due time is today.

What is the hardest asking for help you have done?

Corporations are (Mean) People

When the supreme court said that corporations are people a few years ago. I thought--Good that means they will be nice to people. Nope, they are mean to people. Look what corporations did to our economy in 2008...and we are still suffering for it. I'm not asking them to bed over backwards, just be fair and honest to everyone. Is that too hard?