And so the dreariness continues. It seeps into my everyday and the weight of it bears down on me. These winter days are harsh, unrelenting, unpredictable, and exhausting. We don’t have the cold, bright blue skies and glistening snow to be able to go outside and enjoy the season – no snow forts, no snow angels, no tobogganing… as I…
Crystal Joy
I am a dreamer. I am an artist. I am an adventure-seeker. I am a storyteller. I am a wife. I am a mommy. I am a cancer survivor. My name is Crystal Joy Hall. Share in my journey at crystaljoyhall.com.
It has been a struggle to write, of late. I am not sure why. Perhaps I have not felt inspired, or perhaps I have just felt exhausted. Perhaps it is a combination of the two afflictions; I am not inspired because I am so exhausted – physically, mentally, and emotionally. My body is tired. My brain is in a fog….
It is my 4th New Year’s post breast cancer and this marks the first New Year in which I have felt a shift occur. A shift in energy; a shift within me. You see, with each new year since my diagnosis comes the inner battle of I hope this is a year I remain cancer-free immediately accompanied by a fear…
I wish I had more time to write, but this whirlwind month has my head spinning and my heart aching. Christmas truly is a wonderful time of the year, but it always arrives with a little bit of nostalgia. We celebrate – we come together with those we love – but as time passes and we grow older we recognize…
Today I want to celebrate a remarkable lady. Her name was Margaret Anne Hall. Annie. She was my Little Grandma. I got to know my Little Grandma during her own fight against cancer. I was young and impressionable, and in the time that she lived with us, she taught me many lessons. She taught me how to iron and…
Today is Universal Children’s Day. A day in which we celebrate children. As a mother to a 5 year old how did I not know about this day until – well – today? I don’t remember learning about this day in school nor did my parents celebrate Universal Children’s Day at home. Therefore I grew up completely unaware of…
It is autumn, and we are in full swing of the season – wet, dismal days and cold, bitter winds – but today is simply a beautiful one. The air is crisp and clean, the sun is sparkling, and the sky is radiating a brilliant autumn-day blue. Yes, it is still cold and bitter, but everything about this day feels…
Surviving cancer. It alters so much about who you are: your values, your hopes, your mindset, and your ambitions. You become acutely aware of what truly matters in life, and perhaps, not surprisingly, the things you once placed value on and gave all your energy and time to, were not the things of importance. My son was 12 months…
This summer by the river at the cottage – a place of healing and serenity – I was fortunate enough to have a heart-to-heart with a very special person. She is someone I cherish who has traversed her own breast cancer journey. She understood my fatigue, my adversities, and the side-effects, because she too experienced her own, and she gently…
I did not survive breast cancer so that I could become a victim to road rage… There are far too many incidents and too many shared stories about reckless drivers disobeying the rules of the road. The rules are basic. Adhere to the speed limit. Obey stop lights. Come to a complete stop at a stop sign. Check your…