It has been an emotional month. Over the past 22 days I suffered from severe scanxiety. I know that I have touched upon this type of anxiety in my previous post Perhaps… Just Perhaps. And let me tell you folks – this sh!t is real. As my mammogram and ultrasound fast approached my scanxiety worsened. I felt uneasy – my…
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.
In January of this year, I was approached by The Princess Margaret Cancer Foundation (PMCF) requesting if they could use my story as their feature for the spring mailing campaign. They outlined the requirements and provided details regarding the mailing. I was apprehensive. Sharing my story through blogging and online videos allowed some anonymity – sounds strange to say –…
Knockers… and I do not mean door knockers. I mean knockers. One of the challenges I have faced since my mastectomy is finding bras and breast forms to fit my tiny structure and my even tinier bust. It took trying various brands, different sizes, and many different styles before I finally found a [silicone] breast form that fit me…
Spring is a time of new beginnings. It is a promise of letting go and starting anew. As winter holds us firmly and unrelentingly in her grasp this season, we need this promise of new beginnings – more than ever – as our shining light through the bleakness of this transitional time of year. New beginnings can signify a…
I remember when I was younger – much younger – I could not imagine what my life would be like when I reached adulthood. I simply couldn’t envision any aspect of my life. I didn’t imagine the house, the career, the family … I was just me. I was whimsical. I was living in the moment, and following my passions…
I would like to think that these past few weeks have been wonderful – and for some of the time they have been – but sadly they have brought about their own set of frustration, concern, and disappointment. As a parent, you never want to see your child hurting or struggling, and that is what we have bore witness to;…
Of late I have felt restless. Restless in my marriage, restless in parenting, restless in my everyday life. Just restless. I cannot calm my mind and I cannot calm my body. At times I feel as though I am suppressing something. Then I realize that something is me. There are so many conditions that surround marriage and parenting. With…
Valentine’s Day. A celebration of romance and romantic love… Valentine’s Day can be very difficult for some. It is a day in which we celebrate romance and romantic love. It is a day of grand gestures – chocolates, flowers, dinner out, cards – but for some it can exasperate feelings of loneliness, heartache, and discouragement. It can be isolating….
Surviving breast cancer has it’s own set of challenges, hurdles, and set-backs. Your body has changed. Your mindset is altered. Your courage is challenged, almost daily, because you can never truly let go of the fear and the angst. You learn to function with it always being present. You learn to control it. You re-teach yourself how to live in…
Looking back and reading through my posts, I realize that I have written quite a lot about the trials of parenting a young child through the various stages: the Thunderous Threes, The Tempestuous Threes, My Little Epiphany, The Art of Saying No; and though I have also written a few posts that reflect upon the joy and beauty that comes…