October is "Breast Cancer Awareness Month" but I think the focus should be directed towards all types of cancer every month and every day to find a cure! It has become a ‘four letter’ word that "NO" one wants to hear! My life has been touched so very closely by this evil. My father-in-law (colon), my uncle (throat), a very close friend (pancreatic), my sister (lung), and all have passed away way before their time. Many of my friends here in Ocean City and across the country have family members who are dealing with this right now. One of my very best friends, Paige, is a breast cancer survivor and we pray that every time she has to go for her check up that it stays that way forever! A few weeks ago I found out that both the mom and dad of one of the local musicians in town are fighting cancer right now. Combined with prayers from their family and friends we all hope that the ‘four letter’ word changes to "CLEAN” and "FREE" sooner than later for both of them! I have grown to really love and care for all of these people and it hurts my heart when I think of the struggle that they are going through! It sure does seem that every time I go on Facebook these days, someone is posting that they have either lost a loved one or that they are now fighting it themselves.
    Our town came together a few weeks ago at "Joe Mama Day" and raised $20,000 for the Believe in Tomorrow Childrens House by the Sea. This home is right here in Ocean City and gives the children fighting this (and other) illness a place to go and get away even if it's just for a few days. This truly is a small town and when one of our own is struggling with something so life threatening, it touches us all. We come together with whatever it takes to get the word out and prayers really do work, people. Just look at Billy Carder from BJ's ... he is a walking miracle, a tribute to modern medicine and the strength of prayers! Three times and is now cancer "FREE," Thank God!
    Now we have to focus our prayers on Mike Armstrong from Lauren Glick's band, The Mood Swingers. He is just now starting his struggle and long journey down that long hard road to recovery and he is going to need prayers from all of us. On Sunday at the Coconuts Castle in the Sand closing party, the prayers and support started big time from all of his friends and musicians who were there to support Lauren and him! Lauren gathered all of us for a video shout out prayer like no other. We were all touched by this and know that he had to have heard it from his hospital bed far away!
    Someone years ago came up with the yellow ribbon as a symbol for the Breast Cancer Awareness but I also want to add a flower. As we are in October and not a lot of flowers last this long, I was looking around and found that the daisy was just starting to bloom. This flower brought a smile to my face because as a child I remembered sitting in the school yard with some of my classmates and we would sit and make daisy necklaces. We would see just how long we could make them before it was time to go back to class and then wear them all day long. We would say that it was like wearing a little bit of sunshine around our necks and we carried it with us wherever we went. I also remember sitting on my front step pulling the petals off saying, "he loves me he loves me not." At first the thought was for my dad because I was daddy's little girl, then later on it was for my first crush and when I got to the last petal and it was "Not" I would cry! Funny how such a forgotten flower can bring a smile to your face, a warmness to your heart and evoke such emotions; and so why not let it be the "Cancer Awareness Flower?" Let's put a little bit of sunshine around the necks of the people who need it the most or fill a vase with a huge bouquet of sunshine!
    So let's go, Ocean City, and start the prayer chain going every day and night for all of our friends and family who are on this ‘four letter’ word journey! I pray that in our life time we find the cure for "all" types of cancer and then the ‘four letter’ word will be a good one, "LIFE"! Just Sayin’!
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