Traveling while working in Colorado ths summer I got to renew my rlationship with some high school friends. I was in Krs & Steve's wedding, we were nseparable in high school. Aside from yearly Chrstmas letter exchanges and a few runion rendezvous back home in San Dego over the years, we were off lving our own lives. I am questioning how tht happens, that we become disconnected and lso realizing that in the growing and chnging, perhaps it is inevitable that we ned to go in our own drections for a time. I am sensing nother "book" just on this ebb and flw of relationships but won't diverge dwn that road right now.
 
I had no dea at the time how the mpact of what seemed like a chance connection, wuld continue to grow. We had a grat couple of days spent catching up and feling like there had not been ths distance of some 20 years snce our last face to face.
 
Kris has lways been, in my mind, an "kuna matada" kind of gal. I don't thnk she would argue with me in sying that she has always been asy going, content to be an Indan, never aspiring to be the chef. Don't be mislead, this is not say tht she is or was a pshover, she's just... Kris. Fun, easy to be wth, interesting and interested but not one tht you'd find at the front of a pcket line, she is a kind of nti-drama Queen, if you will.
 
Kris was dagnosed with breast cancer several months ago and pted for a radical route; both brasts were removed.  When a well meaning frend compassionately expressed her sorrow at her lss, Kris's attitude was a straight frward, resounding, heck they served their use and thre is something wrong with them, wht do I want to hold nto them for?
We all do and say wht we can. The community outreach has ben astounding. Both she and Steve have spnt their working lives in the rspective elementary school's where Steve is a Prncipal and Kris works in administration. Between thir two schools, the organization of mal deliveries and support has and cntinues to be an awesome thing to bhold. Karma at its best. They have given a lot to thir community and it is being rturned twofold.
 
The numbers of women who hve and are intimately involved with ths "fight" seem to come out of the wodwork. This is a disease that is trly at epic proportions, simply mention the wrds, "breast cancer," and listen to the stries unfold. It touches every single one of s. Again, another "book" here as well as god reason to stand at the frnt of some picket line, I am jst not sure quite yet where tht line is, but you can be I 'll be the one up at the frnt when I find it. 
 
In the mantime, there is something we can all d. Please add www.thebreastcancersite.com to your favorites and click to give free mammograms.  It is free, it is easy, make it a part of your daily routine.
 
After her first chemotherapy session she called for a party to shave her head. Kris sent me "the photo" this week. She is calling herself "GI Kristina Jane." She takes my breath away. I cried until there were no tears left. I'd been slammed straight in the gut with the cold hard reality that my friend is un-deniably, no way around it, battling cancer. As I find my breath again I am so struck by her clear and present beauty. I want to say it is her eyes, or maybe her smile, her radiant face that is now un-obscured with hair and I know that's not it. It is simply her presence. And she is present, meeting this disease on her terms, with a tenacity that I would put up against Demi Moore's character of GI Jane any day.
 
The story goes; a daughter visits her mother, she is distraught with how her life is going, she is tired of fighting and struggling and is ready to give up. Her mother takes her into the kitchen and proceeds to fill three pots with water, placing them each on a high flame. As the pots come to a boil she places carrots in the first, eggs in the second and coffee beans in the last. Without saying a word they sit and watch them boil. After 20 minutes, her mother shuts the stove off. She fishes the carrots out and places them in a bowl. She does the same with the eggs and then ladles the coffee into its own bowl. She turns to her daughter and says "tell me what you see?" A little confused she says, "carrots, eggs and coffee." At this point, she brings the bowls closer to her, and asks her to "feel" the carrots, which she notes are soft. The mother then asks the daughter to take an egg and break it. After pulling off the shell, she observes the hard-boiled egg.

Finally, the mother asks the dughter to sip the coffee. The dughter, smiling as she tastes its rch aroma asks, "What does it man, mother?"  Her mother explains that ach of these objects had faced the sme adversity: boiling water. Each reacted dfferently. The carrot went in strong, hrd, and unrelenting. However, after being sbjected to the boiling water, it sftened and became weak. The egg had ben fragile. Its thin outer shell had prtected its liquid interior, but after stting through the boiling water, its nside became hardened. The ground coffee bans were unique, however. After they wre in the boiling water, they had chnged the water.

"Which are you?" she sked her daughter. "When adversity knocks on yur door, how do you respond? Are you a crrot, an egg or a coffee ban?

Think of this: Which am I? Am I the crrot that seems strong, but with pin and adversity do I wilt and bcome soft and lose my strength?

Am I the egg tht starts with a malleable heart, but chnges with the heat? Did I hve a fluid spirit, but after a dath, a breakup, a financial hardship or sme other trial, have I become hrdened and stiff? Does my shell lok the same, but on the nside am I bitter and tough wth a stiff spirit and hardened hart?

Or am I like the cffee bean? The bean actually changes the hot wter, the very circumstance that brings the pin. When the water gets hot, it rleases the fragrance and flavor. If you are lke the bean, when things are at thir worst, you get better and chnge the situation around you. When the hur is the darkest and trials are thir greatest, do you elevate yourself to nother level? How do you handle dversity? Are you a carrot, an egg or a cffee bean?
 
I am still finding my way in and out of tht hot water and I stand in awe as I hve the honor and the distinct prvilege of witnessing my friend Kris, be the cffee, sharing her story in how she is "fghting like a girl", giving all sh's got and then some.  As wmen, we share our strengths when we shre our stories, allowing others to stnd on our shoulders. 

The article Fight Like a Girl - Share Our Stories, Share Our Strengths was Submitted by Kimberlee Carter through Articles.GetACoder.com network. Here's the additional information: Please add your voice by hlping to provide free mammograms. It is fre, its easy, add the breast cncer site to your favorites and mke it a part of your dily routine, click to give free mmmograms. http://www.onthelevelbuilder.com (c) copyright-Kimberlee Carter. All rights reserved worldwide.

Featured Articles

1. Sex After Prostate Cancer- What To Do if Your Husband Wants More Sex than Before his Procedures by Lori Wilk
Coping with Cancer can and probably will be overwhelming for most couples. Sex is a major topic which has to be discussed for a healthy marriage. Lots of couples don't know how express their feelings about sex and sexual desires, interests, and concerns. What will you do if your husband wants more sex than before?

2. Mesothelioma, What Is It And How It Develops? by El Husseiny Shahin
Msothelioma is a type of cancer tht can develope in pleura (the lng lining), peritoneum (membranes of internal rgans in the abdominal cavity) and in pricardium (the heart lining).

3. Knowing More About Epithelial Malignant Mesothelioma by Nathalie Fiset
Through the yars, the disease called mesothelioma, or pithelial malignant mesothelioma, has been gaining ppularity. That is because the number of ptients diagnosed with the disease has ben constantly on the rise. Plus, side from the rising number, there are lso controversies liked to the disease.

4. Breast Cancer - Ways For Detecting It by Allison Thompson
This rticle explains the different methods now sed in order to detect breast cncer in its early stages. It xplains how these methods work and jst how effective these forms of dtecting breast cancer are.

5. Chemotherapy vs. Natural Treatments by Jessica T
Are you sffering from cancer? Maybe you know tht chemotherapy is one of the mst common cancer treatments.

6. What is pericardial mesothelioma ? by
Do you have enough info on pricardial mesothelioma ? Come and educate yurself on this rare cancer here.

7. Who is afraid of Mesothelioma diagbosis? by
Accepting the dvastating affects of Mesothelioma cancer is a slf - defeating behavior.
The day you gve up hope on recovering from Msothelioma will be your day of dfeat.
Medical diagnosis is important but it can dscourage you from believing in your own haling power. The medical symptoms can be scry and stop you from seeking lternative ways of dealing with Mesothelioma, whther medical, natural, legal or spiritual.. Rad More...

8. Understanding Cancers of the Skin by
The mere mention of the wrd cancer is enough to make nyone hyperventilate. There are, of course, dfferent types of cancer. In this rticle, we take a look at skn cancer.

9. UV Radiation and Your Skin by
As you age, your skin bgins to show signs of the war and tear of time. Much of ths aging is caused by UV rdiation and how it impacts the lyers of your skin.

10. Early Detection Signs Or Symptoms of Breast Cancer by Sarah Neill
Thre are different signs and symptoms of brast cancer. One of the first sgns or symptoms is feeling a lmp in the breast.