Letter to a Friend
Photo by Debby Hudson on Unsplash
(The original version of this letter was sent to friends of an older generation, who were brought up not to speak of such things. These friends were near and dear enough that we wanted them to know what was happening in our lives. The following is an edited version of how we broke the news to them. Wanting to bring home the point that this story was actually about my life, I included the Cast List at the end.)
Dear Friends,
Greetings! I trust you are well.
When our kids were small, we had a rule in our family that when someone had a story, it was theirs to tell. This meant when my husband got home from work, one daughter could not tell the other daughter’s story – whether it be admitting to some infraction or sharing a triumph.
And now, I have my story to tell.
As they say in Spanish, “Había una vez…”
Once upon a time…
…there was a young royal family: a prince, a princess, and their daughters, two very young princesses.
They lived in a far away land that belonged to the Emperor Beyond the Sea.
There were dragons in the land, and one dragon had the evil power to strike a potentially mortal wound within the bodies of women without them knowing it.
A dragon found and struck our princess.
Fortunately, there were Wise Men and Women of Medicine who could detect these wounds and had various remedies. The family was able to call upon them for aid. The very young princesses did not have a clear grasp of what was going on. They only saw an adventure of visiting new places and meeting new people.
The Wise Men and Women of Medicine were successful. The dragon was defeated.
Over the years the young princesses recalled that time and heard stories, and tried to grasp what had happened, but were only faintly successful.
Peace reigned for many years, but then a new dragon arose. Once again, the princess was struck. The young princesses were now grown up and had gone forth to their own realms and met their own princes. Thanks to the wizardry of Those Known as Geeks, the young princesses were able to walk alongside their parents this time, even from their far away realms.
The Wise Men and Women of Medicine were consulted. (Exciting news: there were many more Wise Women of Medicine this time around!) They offered their aid as before, but this second dragon was very sneaky. It had ways of hiding, and more drastic measures were needed to fight the dragon. And so…
• • • • •
This story is not supposed to be a cliffhanger, but as I write this, we are still in the middle of it, Dear Reader, so I cannot tell you how it ends up. What I can tell you is that you can rest knowing that the family is surrounded by not only the Wise Men and Women of Medicine, but also many Caring Friends and Family Members who have been pouring love out upon them.
I dare say the princess has forgotten how to cook and she and the prince are enjoying sumptuous repasts brought by those so inclined to love them in this fashion! The young princesses and their respective princes have grown in wisdom and understanding. The family is trusting in the Goodness of the Emperor Beyond the Sea, that no matter how things appear, it will all work out for good.
Cast
The Princess - Me
The Prince - My husband
The Young Princesses - Our daughters
Their Respective Princes - Their Respective Princes!
The First Dragon - Breast Cancer with Lumpectomy
The Second Dragon - Breast Cancer with Unilateral Mastectomy
Emperor Beyond the Sea - Soli Deo Gloria
Dear Reader - You
With special thanks to:
- The Wise Men and Women of Medicine
- Those Known as Geeks
- Caring Friends and Family Members