I spy joy in shaved heads

Renee & Fred

My sister, Renee, has cancer.  Again.  Her chemo treatments are causing her to lose her hair, which is very disturbing to her.  When she shaved her head her husband, Fred, shaved his.

Renee asked my mother to send me some photos of her without hair before she came to visit.  She and Fred live in Montana and Renee paused her chemo treatments for a couple of weeks to come have an early Christmas with us.  Renee was worried about how my kids, whom she adores, would react to her without hair.

I looked through the images mom sent me and the one pictured here was last.  I can’t tell you how it made me smile. My sister’s cancer is serious. She is scared.  Nearly seven years ago she lost a breast.  Now she’s lost her hair.  And yet, through tiredness and vomiting, surgeries and endless tests, there is joy.

There is still joy.

And it pulls itself up from inside to meet a loving kiss from her spouse with a laugh.

Captured here on film, Renee’s joy reminds me that today is a pretty fine day.  Any day, for that matter, is pretty darn excellent.  Because no matter what our situation or circumstances, if we can live in each moment, there is always joy somewhere inside of us. We just have to let it out.