Three's

What's the old saying news comes in three's?  Be it good or bad the news always comes in three's.  Well I have recently received two devastating, sad pieces of news.  They both came a few weeks ago.   

First the results of my mothers PET scan came back and they were not good.  Her cancer has spread.  Not alarmingly but it has spread.  As hard as the last year and a half has been I was not completely prepared for bad news.  However I was not unprepared either.  The thing that keeps me from falling completely apart is my mother.  She has such quiet strength and calmness in her soul that everyone around her is comforted by it.  At a time when we should be comforting her, she comforts us.  She received the news, weighed her options and has moved on to the next level of treatment.  No tears, no why Me's, no negative thoughts of any kind.  Just a positive, hopeful outlook that keeps me strong and moving forward. 

The next bit of news is less devastating but sad nonetheless.  One of my best friends, one from my previous blog, has moved back to her home in Oregon.  Actually as I post this she and her family are on their cross country journey back to the Pacific Northwest with a few stops along the way to visit friends.  This is the friend who I have know the least amount of time but who has changed me for the better.  I'm not yet sure how I am going to navigate the days without her presence.  Coffee at our favorite place is changed, running is changed, Taco Wednesday is changed...everything is forever changed.  I miss my ally, my partner in crime, the one who is always on my side.

Fortunately we live in the digital age, the age of texting, Facebook and Instagram, thus staying in touch will be easy.  We have already planned a trip in September and hopefully we will be able to meet up at a race in January.    However the day to day life without her will take some getting used to.  I am accustomed to texting and suggesting lunch or a run.  Those days are forever gone but not forgotten.  I already miss her...  

For now there is no third piece of news.  Thank God for small rays of light...