Cancer is messy and scary. You throw everything at it, but don't forget to throw love at it. It turns out that might be the best weapon of all.

It's OK to let your children see you cry.

When I was 41, I found a lump the size of a grape in my right breast. I ended up bald, sick and exhausted from surgeries, chemo and radiation treatments. Ah, but I got to live.

Choas will come, calm will follow, and then it will start up all over again. The secret is to savor the ride.

I once heard someone say that prayer is more than words. It's a stance you take, a position you claim. You throw your body against the door to keep the demons from advancing and stay put until they go away.

Be eccentric now. Don't wait for old age to wear purple.

Don't take yourself so seriously. No one else does.