Dear Life, My dear friend, Jonathan, joined the rank of Angels this morning after a two year dance with cancer. A photographer took this photo in 1980 of Colleen, Jonathan, and I, at a club. We partied into sobriety early 1981. Thank you, Jonathan, for many good times but, most importantly, for opening the door to a sober community where we both thrived. My heart is with your family and friends.
Yours Truly, Pamela Rose

Dear Life,
Steroids for severe allergies.
Cancer meds for Lymphoma.
My body is a circus.
My spirit is a hire-wire walker.
Yours Truly, Pamela Rose

Dear Life, Today is my daughter’s Tracy birthday. Her presence in my life is a Miracle. I celebrate her and all she brings to the world. She’s an amazing, beautiful, strong, joyful, and successful woman. Her light brings me hope. My love goes out across the miles to you, Tracy. Have a fantastic Birthday!
Yours Truly, Pamela Rose

Tracy 2023

Dear Life, Yesterday I hosted a Birthday lunch for Melanie. Brian joined us for the festivities of enchiladas, chocolate cake and games. We made wishes blowing out the candles and played Aggravation with many smiles. No matter what age, celebrating a friend’s birthday sparks the joyous child within me.
Yours Truly, Pamela Rose

Brian, Melanie, and PRM 09.12.2023

Dear Life, My ability to “see” is not taken for granted. Eyesight is a function of my amazing body, and like all the parts, I need to take care of it. Same with VISION. I may be able to see the people or object(s) in front of me, but do I have the vision to respond with mindfulness and clarity? Patience and compassion? It begins here, within me. Looking inside.
Yours Truly, Pamela Rose

Dear Life, Standing outside in the beauty of early evening with friends, I shared the ego-smashing process that goes on in my head when attending a Poetry Workshop, or for that matter, any time I need to share in a public forum. My doubts rush in about “is this good enough, are these words the best, am I as good, better or worse than others, blah, blah, blah”. We laughed with identification. When I am honest and shine a light on the truth, the fear, doubts and cares are seen then dissolve. What remains is my Spirit having a loving human experience. Life.
Yours Truly, Pamela Rose

Dear Life, I invited three friends to join me for a meal and cards on Labor Day. I wwent to the Dollar Store to get party favors and was delighted to find these “sharks”. We call ourselves the “card sharks”. I wrote the name of each guest on their shark and used as place markers. We had so much fun “sharking”.
Simple pleasures. A day of relief from cancer treatments, money concerns, what if’s, and all the noise fear can make. It pays to spend a dollar and jump into the ocean of love to play with the sharks.
Yours Truly, Pamela Rose

The Card Sharks 09.04.2023

Dear Life, Here’s a poem I wrote about one of the many strange cancer treatment side effects most people don’t know about:

Eyes are dilated large as planets
Oil glands in lids closed for the season
Dry as the surface of the moon
Cancer treatment is the given reason

Fill a sock with rice and microwave
Place between the forehead and nose
Lie on the bed with this warm compress
While being still as a long-stem rose

This has caused difficulty at times reading, writing, painting, and other activities. Eye glands are beginning to open so I am “seeing” improvement, thankfully.

Yours Truly, Pamela Rose

Self-Portrait Painting 2021

Dear Life, September arrives with this: it’s time to sharpen my pencils, get the three-ring binder together and have my books ready for the first day of school. This began at six years old, a scholarly nerd wearing ankle socks and Mary Janes. Saturday I begin a Poetry Workshop. The week has been in preparation, reading poetry books and poems I’ve written. I need to choose one of my poems to workshop. Deadline to email poem has come and gone. Received kind note from teacher to send today.
Can I “let go of disapproving of myself”, be accepting of my chemo brain, and put on the ankle socks. Pencils and binder are ready!
Yours Truly, Pamela Rose

PRM 1960