PIECES OF ME: Resilience

Dear Friends,

One never knows where inspiration for an essay may come from. Today, while tidying up my grandkids bookcase in my home, I came across this much loved favorite. The story really is the perfect metaphor for resilience in the face of adversity.

If you aren’t familiar with “ The Little House” or its storyline, let me fill you in.

The story begins with a cute little house on a hill in the countryside. She was a sturdy, well built little house. “Living” her best life so to speak. The man who built her so well said “This Little House shall never be sold for gold or silver and she will live to see our g-g-grandchildren’s, g-g-grandchildren living in her.”

The Little House was very happy on her hill, watching the countryside around her. Watching the seasons change, day turn into night, she remained the same, a constant upon that hill. She could see the lights of the city far away. She was curious about what it would be like to live there.

As time went by, the city sprawl moved closer and closer until she was engulfed by it, then no one wanted to live in her. The city grew up around her, and she fell into decay. Yet she was still a good house underneath. She longed for the countryside where she had begun her existence.

One Spring Day the g-g-granddaughter of the man who built the house passed by, and realized that this was the house that her g-g-grandfather had built. All of the good memories came rushing back. She decided to see if the house could be moved, and was told that the house was as sturdy as ever. So they moved it to a place in the countryside where the “Little House” could once again thrive. The resilience of “The Little House” allowed her to hold on even through her most difficult days.

Today as I deal with yet another fever and the overwhelming fatigue that accompanies it, this story is a reminder of my own resilience in the face of cancer. My desire to get back to enjoying life as it was before my recent relapse. Who knew that a beloved children’s book could remind me that anything is possible?

Until next time,

Deb