Dear Life, Final day of steroids. July 8th, PET and CT Scans will let us see if Prednisone cleared out the cloud in my lungs. I feel good. Recovered from last week’s food poisoning setback. I’m enjoying some minor but joyful home improvements. Lace Curtains in the kitchen and bedroom soften the spaces. Love new painting across from bed. Fresh flowers in the studio or kitchen always add beauty. The additional office chair with wheels is super comfortable. I love rolling around on the wood floor from table to table. Fun. Feeling grateful for my resilient body and the joy in my life.
Yours Truly, Pamela Rose

Dear Life, I’m grateful there’s a Tuesday Farmer’s Market. It’s smaller and less crowded allowing me to enjoy perusing the booths and purchasing fresh, organic, homegrown goods. The Saturday market is wonderful however packed with more vendors and people. My immune system needs safe and reasonable places to go where I can mask up and enjoy without an overwhelming threat of “germs”. We are still in a Pandemic. Those of us with compromised health navigate our lives accordingly. My life is a stream of inner creativity, friends and safe activities. I am happy, joyous and free!
Yours Truly, Pamela Rose

Dear Life, I’ve wanted a new piece of art for across from my bed, a piece to inspire me and let my mind drift into other realms. I thought it was going to be a seascape or landscape or an abstract painting. Yet here is what grabbed my eye and intuition: old master style oil painting in a gilt gold frame. Surprise and delight. The objects in the piece drew me in: an ink well with pen, a handwritten letter with stamped envelope, a gold coin, two leather bound books, and a rolled up map all piled onto a desk. I had to see it at home so took it “on approval”. Totally works. I share with you today as I happily enjoy my new art!
Yours Truly, Pamela Rose

Dear Life, I’ve been going through studio drawers, decluttering, and organizing. 40″x50″ foam core board is adhered to studio wall and a beautiful “Vision” is emerging. I’ve cleaned out the fridge and food cabinets. Some books were released to the neighborhood “free library”. I changed out a piece of art work in my bedroom. More about that tomorrow when I have a good photo of the painting I bought that’s so different than anything in my wheelhouse! These small changes are significant. I feel the energy changing in me and the rooms of my home. I love it here.
Yours Truly, Pamela Rose

Dear Life, The article I read by author Mark Nepo informs me of ways to look at pain and loss. I include this excerpt today:
“Our work, alone and together, is not to minimize pain the pain or loss we feel, but to investigate what these incidents are opening to us. It’s not helpful to tell ourselves or each other TO GET OVER IT, but rather to encourage and help each other to get under it”.
I appreciate the inner circle of people in my life that have agreed that we love and support one another in this way. Unconditional and non-judgmental love opens the heart for healing.
Yours Truly, Pamela

Dear Life, On Wednesday, I was hungry. I ate more than usual and it included leftovers. At midnight, my stomach woke me with heartburn and upset. From 1:00 – 3:00am, I wrapped my arms around the porcelain toilet and immersed my head into its opening. I’ve never had food poisoning and now, a veteran, emphasize with anyone who has. The night event threw my day plan off to celebrate a friend’s birthday with girlfriends. I, being an optimist, did shower, got beautifully dressed, put on make-up and thought, “I can do this”. Ten minutes before my friend’s were to pick me up, I asked my intuition, “Is this a good idea or am I going to be a spoiler at the party?” Response: my stomach flipped and I was embracing the porcelain. It was a NO GO! I slept most of the day, just what my body needed. Lesson:
NO MORE eating leftovers. Fresh food only enters this temple!
Yours Truly, Pamela Rose

Dear Life, One of the simple pleasures of my life is having fresh flowers in the house each week. Peonies, one of my favorites, are in season. Santa Fe gardens are boasting multi-petaled blooms in pinks and cream atop effusive greens. I bought a bunch of magenta peonies that are opening daily in the studio. I smile each time I look at them.
Life’s simple pleasures.
Yours Truly, Pamela Rose

Dear Life, Dr Herbert told me the immunotherapy infusion drug is overworking and creating the cloud in my lungs. The schedule of treatments is being rearranged and we will see what results from that. Clinical Trails involve experimentation. I trust this process. Prednisone will be tapered off this week. I saw Radiologist in his dark sci-fi screening room where he sits in a zero-gravity chair looking at multiple large screens and computer all-day. We pulled up my past and present imaging. He walked me through the imaging and reports. Cancer is tenacious but so am I. This amazing body is too. There is great improvement.
I share this with you with such a grateful heart and body.
Yours Truly, Pamela Rose

Dear Life, 9:00 appointment with Dr Herbert, Oncologist then see Radiologist to go over recent PET scan/chest x-ray. Information gives me roadmaps for my self-care. I have a team that helps me. I made this collage HAIRSTORY in honor of my hair and good, old friends, my wigs, who are in storage now. It’s liberating. Hair tells its own cancer story, ask anyone who has undergone chemo treatments and lost their hair. My story today is I’m grateful for the new dark wavy locks flourishing atop my noggin.
Yours Truly, Pamela Rose