Tag: breast cancer survivor

What is your purpose?

I used to struggle with this question. What had I done in my life that was worth that word?

When our children were grown and had their own successful lives, I thought my purpose must have been to raise them to be just that—successful members of society.

Okay, I could live with that. However, I still had a lot of my life left to live.

I began a quilting business making memory quilts for others out of their relative’s precious items.

Okay, maybe that was my purpose.

Then we sold our home and moved into a 41 ft. fifth wheel RV. I could no longer have my quilting business, so that purpose was no longer an option.

Along with this I began writing contemporary romance novels and cozy mystery novels. I could, and did, continue writing novels while traveling.

Since we were traveling the country, I began writing about our travels. The Rambling Quilter Travel Blog was born, and I also began writing for other publications.

Okay, maybe being a travel blogger was my purpose—telling others about amazing places they could visit.

Now I’m thinking my purpose was to write, whether it be about our travels or novels for others to read and enjoy. However, there were so many novelists and travel bloggers out there. What was I bringing to the table that was so unique?

Then May 2023 changed it all. I was diagnosed with Breast Cancer and had to quickly figure out what we were going to do, where we were going to stay, and how long before we could get back to living the life we’d been enjoying for five years.

Two weeks post-surgery at 3:30 in the morning, I found my purpose. I woke up with the idea for Don’t Wait – Our Full-Time RV Journey Through Breast Cancer in my head. I immediately began writing the Introduction.

When I was diagnosed, I needed a “why” for this happening to me. This book, my story, and my ability to share it with others was my “why”. There are so many out there who are going through something similar, and I wanted to let them know that what they were dealing with was “normal in a very abnormal” situation.

This is my purpose. To share my story with anyone who will listen. Don’t wait to do whatever it is you want to do in life. Don’t wait to take care of those medical appointments and screenings that just might save your life. Don’t wait for “the right time”, because that time may never come.

We’ve all heard that tomorrow is not promised. That may sound cliche, but it is true. I never thought I’d be diagnosed with something that didn’t run in my family, but I was. I never thought I’d have to make the tough decisions about surgery, treatment, and recovery, but I did.

We all have a purpose in life. The trick is to find out what it is. Finally, at the age of sixty, I can say that spreading my Don’t Wait message is my purpose.

My new book, Don’t Wait – Our Full-Time RV Journey Through Breast Cancer tells my story. It is now available in paperback and ebook on Amazon with the link below, and in ebook on Barnes & Noble here, and Apple ebooks here.

If you are struggling to find your own purpose, don’t give up. It will happen when you least expect it (maybe at 3:30 in the morning), but it will happen. We’ve all been placed on this earth for a purpose.

If you’ve found your purpose, I’d love to hear from you. If I’ve learned one thing from my journey, it is that we all have a story to tell.