Karen Kadens

Spiritual: Our Lives...

2009-11-23T10:51:00.000-08:00

As we walk, talk, eat
as passengers in this world,
focus on each moment
or we will lose sight
of the rest of our lives

-anonymous

Quote: The Secret...

2009-11-23T10:27:00.000-08:00

The Secret Of Your Greatest Fear,

It Becomes Your Greatest Life

-anonymous

Spiritual: All Your Heart...

2009-11-23T10:17:00.000-08:00

Wherever you go,

go with ALL your heart

-written by those that did

Quote: The Rose...

2009-11-23T09:43:00.001-08:00

Spiritual: Love Is...

2009-11-22T10:56:00.000-08:00

Quote: Believe...

2009-11-22T10:45:00.000-08:00

If you believe you can

You will

written by those that did

Quote: Don't Give Up...

2009-11-22T10:38:00.000-08:00

Don't give up even if the pace is slow.

When things seem to be at their worst

you can turn them around.

Even the troubled waters.

-anonymous

Quote: Be Not Afraid...

2009-11-21T14:57:00.000-08:00

Quote: Close My Eyes...

2009-11-21T14:08:00.000-08:00

Quote: Silent...

2009-11-21T14:00:00.000-08:00

Quote: Fears...

2009-11-21T13:48:00.001-08:00

Quote: We become...

2009-11-21T13:41:00.000-08:00

Quote: by Thomas Edison

2009-11-21T13:35:00.001-08:00

Quote: Be The Change

2009-11-20T15:30:00.000-08:00

Quote: Be Who You Are

2009-11-20T15:13:00.000-08:00

Spiritual: Night Wishes

2009-11-20T14:19:00.000-08:00

Spiritual: A Friend

2009-11-20T14:06:00.001-08:00

Spiritual: Loved

2009-11-20T14:04:00.001-08:00

Spiritual: Bliss

2009-11-20T13:57:00.000-08:00

Spiritual: Namaste

2009-11-20T13:47:00.000-08:00

Quote: Inspirational by Thoreau

2009-11-17T11:54:00.000-08:00

Poetry: Split Second

2009-11-17T11:48:00.000-08:00

One silhouette today
Tomorrow another
In a split second

One bad cell
With no warning
In a split second

Tonight I have Breast Cancer
Tomorrow, I’ll be well
In a split second

Poetry: On the Eve Of Metamorphosis

2009-11-16T15:56:00.001-08:00

Eve prior to Mastectomies

Breathing in rays of stillness

Breathing out, unwanted illness

Awaiting newness

grateful and with grace

wholeness in place

my body, my temple

Sensing a change

heart opened

joy abounding

ready to receive

Poetry: Surrender Your Armor, Be Still

2009-11-16T15:54:00.000-08:00

Thoughts before Anesthesia...

Ancient Soul, pedestrian me
Draw forth a lull in time
Surrender your armor, be still

Teary-eyed treasures gone
Vanity to resurrect
Surrender your armor, be still

Embraced, secure, and whole
Arouse not but a while
Surrender your armor, be still

Who gives she to awaiting palms
Tend her journey safe
Surrender your armor, be still

Poetry: I Who Am

2009-11-15T13:47:00.000-08:00

gazing into a mirror after Masteconomies

The Who is here

The Who was there

The Who will always be

I Who am, no matter what,

Is still my only me

Poetry: Hair Today, Gone Tomorrow

2009-11-15T13:40:00.000-08:00

Hairy up come and see
Something new happ’nin to me
Here a hair, there a hair
Everywhere a hair, hair
Hair today, gone tomorrow

“Where’s My Me”

Everyday, I look in the mirror
The past is gone
Everyday, I ask in the mirror
Where’s my me?

Every night I look in the mirror
With questioning eyes
Placing my wig
Where’s my me?

Every week I look in the mirror
Tossing my silky brown nest
The past is gone
It’s still me!

Poetry: Om Shanti Me to Wholeness

2009-11-15T13:13:00.000-08:00

1 week after first surgery, exercising at outdoor lake retreat

Ripples of liquid delight
Rays of penetrating insulation
Residue of earthy terra
At my feet, as I lay

Honeysuckles faint mist awaits
Ducklings in tandem float
Limbs of wandering foliage embrace
At my feet, as I lay

Gentle sounds and rhythms
Melt my thoughts to miniatures
A distant bell tolls
At my feet, as I lay

A twist, a fold, a bend
Catapulting into wholeness
In the light I share
The sound of silence
At my feet, as I lay

Poetry: Body Beautiful

2009-11-15T12:31:00.000-08:00

Nothing is as beautiful as my scars
I wear them proudly
To remind myself, I survived
My scars, my battle wounds
Reminders I am secure
such simple, noble lines

scars of
Freedom
Strength
Private Journey
Newness

Wearing them proudly
for I
survived!

Poetry: Mirror Image

2009-11-15T12:10:00.000-08:00

I stumbled on a friend today
She followed me around
I felt her everywhere I went
Together, we were bound

I saw her in the mirror
I felt her aura, too
As I sat to rest a bit,
My amazement really grew

She looked an awful lot like me
Though the silhouette had changed
Those two mounds of fleshy softness
Noticeably rearranged

She introduced herself to me,
“It’s nice to meet you dear”
“I’d love to have you for my friend”
“Come here, I’ll dry your tear”

Poetry: Diamonds Are A Girl's Best Friend

2009-11-15T12:01:00.000-08:00

Beneath the body bright
Unexpectedly she fell
Like Alice through her Looking Glass
To resurface fully well

Sun kissed, celestial orbs
patterned in the night
Point my awareness toward
wholeness and what’s right

Sparkling bursts of inner light
Like teardrops, cleanse my soul
Gently restoring brilliance
Indeed, that is the goal

Diamonds are a girl’s best friend
No doubt you’ve heard the tale
Those Carbon covered “inner gems”
Holding tight, no way I’ll fail

Poetry: Oh, Those Words

2009-11-14T12:57:00.000-08:00

Words touch me
In oh so many ways
Beware
how you say them
Caution really pays

The tests are high
The tests are low
I’ve heard it all before
Careful
how you say them
fears could really sore

Did you hear the latest?
That test result was high
To learn it’s just from surgery
My mouth and tongue
So dry

Watch
the way you say things
My nerves can’t take the strain
When this mess is over
I’ll no longer go insane!

Poetry: Tie Pink Ribbons

2009-11-14T12:47:00.000-08:00

at Franklin Park Retreat

Awesome! Bewitching!
Mother Earth’s Wonderland
Tie pink ribbons round a tree
On, and
on, and on

Bullfrogs bellow, turtles mellow
Coy Fish flirt with me
Tie pink ribbons round a tree
On, and
on, and on

By the Red Bark
Horizontal mirth
Tie pink ribbons round a tree
On, and
on, and on

Kindred women
Forget not our silent plight
Tie pink ribbons round a tree
On, and
on, and on

Poetry: Fear is just a four letter word...

2009-11-14T12:36:00.000-08:00

All the households lit up
preparing hearty meals
I meditate on the thought
what really drives their wheels

They fear they’ll lose a job
or a lover to go astray
They fear it’ll rain tomorrow
and wash their homes away

Fear is just a word
four letters in a row
I wonder if they know
that Cancer is the foe

All the households lit up
imagining what they fear
so far less of importance
flesh and blood so dear

Poety: Sleepless in L.A.

2009-11-14T12:17:00.000-08:00

Day is done, time for fun
Wide-eyed still I be
Lingering thoughts run wild
What within must I see?

Nudging at my heart strings
Feelings deep within
Processing my emotions
Yielding not a grin

Fear not the temporal
Body, breath, and mind
Keep the focus happy
All else hard to find

Be still restless mind
Let go, surrender still
Soon you’ll join with slumber
Angst a score of nil.

Poetry: I'm a Cancer Bi-ch!

2009-11-14T11:55:00.000-08:00

one bad eve from Chemo

Bang, hit, yell, and pout
Anything to let it out
Mad as a Wicked Witch
Tonight I am a Cancer Bi__ch!

Wanting this all to stop
Tomorrow I’ll go and shop!
Tonight I feel out of it
Gonna find something to hit

I can be a Cancer bi__ch!
Neither my forte, nor my niche
Give a girl a break; let her be
Raising Hell with the Cosmos
Can set me free!

Poetry: Cancer, it's not a dirty word

2009-11-14T11:41:00.000-08:00

ShShshsh! Get a grip, zip your lip

The big “C” has hit

Cancer, it’s not a dirty word

Keep it mum

And just play dumb?

The big “C” is here

Cancer, it’s not dirty word

Let’s get real

It’s no big deal

Yes, I have it

Cancer, it’s not a dirty word

I just let it out

Refuse to pout

Though Chemo’s quite a bout

Cancer, it’s not a dirty word

Poetry: Honoring Thyself...

2009-11-14T11:26:00.000-08:00

Did I tell you, “I love you?"

Did I absorb the meaning of, “I love you?"

Do I believe the words, “I love you?"

Do I say often enough, “I love you?"

Do I speak the truth when I say, “I love you?"

Poetry: Life Called My Name...

2009-11-13T15:42:00.000-08:00

I’m ready to believe again

Be strong enough

Be safe forever

For LIFE called my name

I give everything I have

To be well enough

To be whole again

For LIFE called my name

Looking in the mirror

Letting go of my past

Envisioning my newness

For LIFE called my name

I’m ready to believe

live freely

Be embraced

For LIFE called my name

Poetry: I Am Wholeness!

2009-11-13T15:25:00.000-08:00

To be wholeness

I think it

To see wholeness

I envision it

To desire wholeness

I taste it

To keep wholeness
I embrace it

Melting into wholeness

Never having lost it

Poetry: One Hundred Red Balloons

2009-11-13T15:22:00.000-08:00

Toss my raincoat to the sky

Looking for that rainbow

100 red balloons appear

All I need to fly

Toss my rain boots to the sky

Trading pain and sorrow

100 red balloons appear

All I need to fly

Toss my fears to the sky

Holding close my newness

100 red balloons appear

All I need to fly

Poetry: Riding on Angel Wings

2009-11-13T15:16:00.000-08:00

To all my Angel Friends
who lent me their wings

When days drag on forever

And my heart longs for release

Breathing free of Chemo

I ride on Angel Wings

When my spirit needs a lift

A loving touch, an “I love you”

And my wings are grounded

I ride on Angel Wings

When I worry or forget to smile

Needing to escape

When my arms are too weak

I ride on Angel Wings

Soaring higher and higher

Earth appears so small

I ride on Angel Wings

Until I need them no more

Humor: Giggles Are Good For The Soul

2009-11-13T15:11:00.000-08:00

Humor: Tumor Humor

2009-11-13T15:09:00.000-08:00

Waiter: “You have a reservation for one? Come this way.”

Mr. Tumor: “I’d like Breast of Chicken a la Karen”

Waiter: “ Rare, Medium, or Well Done”?

Mr. Tumor: “ Rare”

months later...At the MD’s Office

Mr. Tumor: “I have eaten too much Breast of Chicken lately. Anything for an upset stomach?"

MD: "Take 4 treatments of Tagiter over 10 weeks and six tablets of Zeloda for 14 days every three weeks. That will remove any traces of the problem!"

Humor: More Tumor Humor

2009-11-13T15:05:00.000-08:00

Mr. Tumor: “I’m not satisfied with my Chicken Breast. “I demand a full refund or my lawyer, Mr. Free Radical, will sue”!

Waiter: “We reserve the right to abstain from serving any customers we do not approve of. “Leave immediately and do not return. EVER!!”

Tumor: “Knock knock”

Karen: “Who’s there?”

Tumor: “Tumor”

Karen: “Tumor who”?

Tumor: "Too mer-ci-ful to hurt you. I’m leaving. Enjoy your life!

Poetry: Forgiveness...

2009-11-13T15:00:00.000-08:00

When everyone seems to get it wrong

When things all go astray

When Murphy’s law is acting up

It’s time to forgive, they say

Forgive all the Pharmacists,

their prescriptions more and more

Forgive the MD., not reading reports afore

Forgive the cabbie, couldn’t find the right door!

Forgive the Fax that would not send

And the old computer, too

Tomorrow is another day

On my new “Forgive List,” I wonder who?

Poetry: Letting Go

2009-11-12T15:48:00.000-08:00

How I long for life to resume

Counting the days, the weeks

When pills and surgeries cease

How I long for…

How I admire my peaceful confidence

Pondering not the future

Melting into moments...

My beautiful moments

Releasing all fears

Shrugging off unkind thoughts

Letting go, empowered

So very strong.

Poetry: I Can No More

2009-11-12T15:35:00.000-08:00

Ending First Rounds of Chemo

dotted every i, crossed every t

I can no more

gave fully from my heart

I can no more

weary and worn

I can no more

surrendering body and mind

I can no more

Perhaps tomorrow

I can

Poetry: When Wellness Calls...

2009-11-12T15:23:00.000-08:00

"Let’s do lunch!”

“ So glad you called”

“Looking forward to seeing you”

“You had me at cured!”

Poetry: Worriers and Warriors

2009-11-11T15:17:00.000-08:00

Cancer, a blessing in disguise

breaching gaps in time

of past regrets and unknowns

quietly settling into the moment

Motivation and inspiration

giving rise to torrential dreams

cultivated by gut awareness

led by tribal heart beats

Blessed be survival instincts:

feeling I might

believing I can

grateful I did

Poetry: At Harbin Hot Spring’s Retreat

2009-11-11T15:03:00.000-08:00

Today I am that child again

giggly and all aglow

having found a rope to swing upon

tossing to and fro

A surgery in three days

I don’t even care

momentarily preoccupied

breathing clean, fresh air

Swaying in the summer breeze

no worries haunting me

unleashing pent-up energies

I’m feeling oh so free!

Poetry: Tears

2009-11-11T14:59:00.000-08:00

I release

my tears of pain,

my tears of knowing,

my tears of ecstasy,

my tears of sadness

into the Harbin Pools

making the waters

even more sacred

Poetry: Life’s Little Diversion

2009-11-11T14:52:00.000-08:00

Wishing for some closure

looking forward to that day

when surgeries and treatments

all just go away

Yet once again a brief delay

Of 180 days

breast expanders, saline fills

patience really pays

Life’s diversion, can’t control

so going with the flow

creating new poetic gems

all good to grow, you know.

Poetry: Patience In My Pocket

2009-11-10T15:27:00.000-08:00

pocket full of Patience

Is really all I need

Not a super-sized one

Just enough, no greed

With Patience in my pocket

I can sail right through the day

As I watch my Breasts get bigger

Inviting them to stay

With Patience in my pocket

The journey seems less long

Awaiting one more surgery

My spirit staying strong

Poetry: Have a Happy!

2009-11-10T15:24:00.000-08:00

Find the humor
Stir in gratitude
Loosen the controls
Have a Happy!

Squeeze in a smile
Remove bitterness
Add a sighhh of relief
Have a Happy!

Mix in Grace
A swizzle of confidence
Shake as looong as it takes
Have a Happy!

The Secret: From a place of Wisdom

2009-11-10T15:21:00.000-08:00

I know a secret

As a survivor I was told

Living deeply in the moment

Onto life, I hold, I hold.

Poety: Oh Golly, Molly!

2009-11-10T15:17:00.000-08:00

Two sisters, Holly and Molly,

as different as can be,

A Lefty and a Righty

on Karen’s chest you see

One naughty girl in Blushing Pink

must be treated wisely

So off you go, say goodbye,

shyly she’ll be waving

On one condition to return

healthy and behaving!

Poetry: No More Quarters

2009-11-10T15:14:00.000-08:00

Soaring to vast heights,

Dropped to deep valleys below

On Cancer’s Coaster Ride of Life

Fate’s Hand, deposits a quarter
Taunt me, thrill me, spasms of fear

A captive audience, strapped in

Unrestrained whirlpools of energy

A quarter drops, the ride starts again

More Chemo, surgeries, tests, and scans

Round and round, up and down

Dizzy though I be,

A quarter drops

In the distance Father-time sharply brakes,

Pulling back Fate’s lever

I stand healthfully on solid ground

Life, finally deplete of quarters

Poetry: Love Through The Tears

2009-11-10T15:11:00.000-08:00

Healing tears on my cheek

~Cleansing, freeing~

Love through the wetness

Love through the tears

Pushing through pain,

~Welcoming wonderment~

Love through the wetness

Love through the tears

Forgotten fears

~Joyful tears~

Love through the wetness

Love through the tears

Letter: Dear Karen's Skin

2009-11-10T15:05:00.000-08:00

Dear Karen’s Skin,

First of all, I want to let you know how grateful I am that you created a rash, alerting me of a serious problem otherwise, undetected. How amazing you were! Although I complain from timer to time that you make me feel unattractive, I will refrain from judging you by how I perceive your appearance now. I know it takes time to grow healthy cells, and any slight improvement will show me that you’re making progress.

Since you and I must live together like air to the environment, I need you as my friend, not my foe. Can you please be patient with me when I get upset, and understand I am doing the best I can to get through a difficult time. I value my appearance, and will help you grow by giving you many slow, soothing, vitamin massages, and keep you clean and fresh. I will hold you In my palm, telling you how much I admire you.

I want to thank you, Thigh Skin, for donating yourself to my new Breast Skin. You gave unselfishly, and did not create much pain in the transfer. You are like a little baby changing color every day. It is I who must let you grow at your own timing, stepping away from expectations. I want to trust that everything will be o.k. in time.

As we will live together for a very long time, I look forward to jumping for joy and celebrating with you when you are completely healed. Let’s be there for each other. After all, that’s what friends are for.

Lovingly,

Karen

Poetry: Winning Gold

2009-11-10T14:55:00.000-08:00

I’m no sprinter,
But, take leaps of faith

I’m no swimmer,

But, stretch my spirit forward

I’m no gymnast,

But, I bounce back resiliently

I’m no hurdler,

But, have surpassed every roadblock

I’m no weightlifter

But, can raise my spirits

I’m no Olympian

But won gold, my life

Home: Universal Love...

2009-11-10T14:50:00.000-08:00