Foody Friday: Food For Thought

This week has been a roller coaster week.. A tough week for our family as I’m sure many reading this will be aware (if not.. check out my previous post Life Has Thrown A Gigantic Lemon.. It’s Being Thrown Right Back!!!).

Regardless of the highs and lows of our week so far, I am entering the weekend feeling great relief, whilst also being full of admiration and inspiration!  WHY?

1. The amazing work of the NHS who have definitely ‘pulled it out of the bag’ this week for our family.. I am left with pure admiration and gratitude for the dedication shown by the nurses, doctors and the surgeon!
2. Following her double mastectomy (preventative surgery), I can report that Jen has come through the operation amazingly well and is now back home with a ‘new pair of boobs’… so far so good – let the healing begin! It’s definitely on my Vision Board for her!!!
3. For the astonishing number of prayers, blessings and well wishes that have been sent to Jen and our family during this week… We hear so often that we live in an ‘uncaring’ society… Well this has definitely not been the case as everyone has rallied round to support us and we have been amazed about how people we barely know have shown such genuine care…  Here’s just a couple of examples:
   •  Jen arrived home to a parcel… sent from someone on the BRCA Support Group Forum that Jen has been following. (BRCA is one of the ‘cancer genes’) The group set up a ‘pay it forward gift’… Each person who has undergone the surgery sends a parcel of gifts to the next person undergoing the surgery… It was full of the most thoughtful gifts and reduced me to tears when I saw the love that had gone into thinking of what gifts to include to make life just a little bit easier during the first few weeks of recovery… from someone Jen has never met in person.. Quite unbelievable!
   • The love and well wishes sent to me and my family, from my fellow bloggers has REALLY been an inspiration to me and has also amazed our family and even from a couple of people who are experiencing the more devastating impact Cancer can have.. How incredible that people can still send us such love during their own incredibly difficult times!

Oh and of course… we do have a bit of a ‘warped’ sense of humour in our family…

This is my son’s Facebook Post a few hours before the operation, in the hospital canteen…  Talk about skating on thin ice… haha! (Good job Jen knows us well!!!)

“My very brave wife!!!! Nil by mouth til 1pm so I’m gonna keep our energy levels up xxx”

Wow what an amazingly strong and inspiring woman she is! Here is a photo I received to show her daughters (my granddaughters), to reassure them that she was ok, less than 2 hours after her major surgery….

Thanks again to all of you who have sent beautiful messages of support and an ‘arm around my shoulder’ from every continent on this world which is becoming smaller and smaller as we reach out to each other across the wonder of the internet!