2019
I wrote this 3 years ago when Shirley started treatment. While she and I were at the lake this weekend for the FIRST TIME since then, the photo of the 2 of us at the lake THEN popped up so I HAD to post it with one I took NOW...in honor of my chugga’ chugga’ sister-in-love and ALL the other ’SISTERS’ who are chugging up THEIR mountains 💪🏽❣️

2016
Tomorrow my sister-in-love, Shirley, begins her treatments for cancer.  I hate it.

She would not want me to write a long detailed flowery blog AT ALL so I shall be brief.  I write again, though, because my heart nudges me and has for some time.  Sitting in church today, I wrote notes for this while NOT listening to the sermon.

So I share from a heart FULL of love, my sister.

Shirley is humble, soft and tender, low-key, steady...even in the face of this...even in her fear.

When the anxiety begins to overwhelm, she quietly says "I can do this."

And then she does it.

EVERY TIME she says it, I think of the “Little Engine Who Could”.  Remember the story of the little engine who made it up the mountain while saying, "I think I can, I think I can, I think I can."?

It is one of the few books that I kept for all my grand and great-grands because it is a classic and the message is profound.  I just read it when I returned home from church with my notes.  I wanted to be certain that my memories served me well.

For once, they did.

Not only did that little engine make it with that "I think I can" spirit BUT that little engine was a SHE!

Yep, "SHE tugged and pulled and tugged and pulled" and SHE made it up that mountain.

So, there you go, Sister....my blog in honor of The Little Engine Who Could and The Sister-in-Love Who CAN!