The day I received the heartbreaking news of my stage IV disease, I felt lost and overwhelmed with fear. Though I had cancer before, stage IV felt scarier than the first diagnosis and I didn’t know what to do or where to reach out. Something pulled me to a spiritual place. I picked up the phone to call a priest who was close friends with my in-laws. He answered the phone and told me that his next appointment cancelled and I should drive over to meet him. Though we share a different faith, his words resonated and filled me with hope and was exactly what I needed at that time. What stood out to me most in the conversation was these words: “Caryn – live with a loving stance.”
Initially I thought, “what does that mean? How can I live with a loving stance in my own life?” Obviously, wise words from religious figures, role models, scholars or even greeting cards are meant to be interpreted individually. However, I saw it as not just about romantic love or self-love, but about spreading love in my day-to-day.
