Why are you doing this Michele? That’s a question that I’m often asked. When I was being treated for cancer, it seemed that within the hospital environment, so much was being taken away from me. With the radiation treatment and the loss of my ovaries, I lost the ability to have children. Instantly, my monthly menstrual flow ended. Being a “whole woman” quickly became my new reality.
Having a tumor in my rectal passage also meant that my dignity pretty much disappeared overnight too! It wasn’t long before I felt as if everyone had viewed, touched or prodded my bum. I had felt fine before the treatment, but with radiation and chemo, I lost my health. Then throw in the loss of being in my normal world, my savings and eventually my job, and you will begin to understand why I felt loss, loss and more loss. In the whirlwind of all this life and death treatment, I had little time to grieve any of these deep losses. During my treatment time, my energy was completely invested in survival.
There is no intention on my part that this account sound complaining or poor me'ish. These losses were one part of my experience with cancer, there were also sweet, loving, joyful and beautiful times too. In the realm of loss, I have now discovered, that many cancer patients have similar feelings to mine.
Following one of my last radiation treatments, I heard that a group of massage therapists had created a free service. They provided complimentary massage to cancer patients. Weeks later, an angel was massaging me with such care and devotion that I was moved to tears. We had never met before. This was a true gift from a stranger. My angel’s name was Silvia.
I decided on that massage table that I too would give back. This program was birthed from the kindness and generosity of others. To revisit the quote by His Holiness The Dalia Lama, “I have found that the more we care for the happiness of others, the greater is our own sense of well-being.”
Michele's hope and vision It is simple. I want thousands upon thousands of inspirational poetry CDs to go out into the world through The Gift of Love program. I hope that people on their journey with cancer, will feel a connection to the whole, that perhaps they will not feel so lost or alone, that they too will feel the gift of love from strangers.
Poetry takes us inward. It can be deeply healing. If these CDs can provide some comfort, perhaps some insight and ultimately a little more peace to troubled souls, then my work in the world has value.
Some background information When I’m not puttering around in the garden or doing my day-to-day work as an artist, teacher, writer and designer, I work on The Gift of Love Program. The nitty-gritty of my work is that I write grants and create events to fund the poetry CDs. I’m the designer, director and producer, so I wear many hats. Reading hundreds of poems to make the selections has been both incredibly enjoyable and challenging. Tiahna, a friend who had breast cancer, helped me with the final seventy candidates. We wanted to make sure that each poem was contributing to a balanced mixture of beauty, thoughts, emotions and issues.
Originally, I had planned on reading all of the poems for the CD but decided that a mixture of two women and two men would be a better balance of voices. The work while recording was intense and fascinating. Paul Bacon at KABA Recording Studios is a wizard with editing and a patient and generous guy. Having the use of Judith Tripp's beautiful flute music from her Homage CD was perfect. Judith recorded the collection at sacred sites in England and in France: The Chalice Well Garden - Glastonbury, Stonehenge - Wiltshire, Merlin's Cave - Tintangel, Cornwall and at Chartres Cathedral, Chartres.
Planet Earth
Where we live is holy Our land
the oceans and sky
the mountains
meadows and deserts
even the darkest caves All are holy Place your feet with care Earth is Mother Nature’s abode Watch clouds and
branches tangle together in rapture Celebrate the sacred land Dance in snow
plant magnolias and marigolds Sing to the stars the wind hears our voices Fall in love with home
