The Little Reminders

Yesterday at the grocery store Chelsea caught the attention of an older man. She was riding in the front of the green grocery truck cart having a blast. He was admiring her cuteness, then asked me, "how old is he?" I just smiled and answered, "two and a half." He continued to watch her and eventually turned to me and said, "oh it's a girl, I'm sorry, ... she." So I began with my typical reply.

"Oh, that's okay. Her hair is just growing back, she lost it all when she had chemo."

I get this quite often, this mix up of boy and girl, and while it really doesn't bother me, and I know it's not necessary to explain, I just like to see people's reactions. Then their jaw drops, and they really feel silly for calling her a boy. (giggle) I know, it's really not funny. But think about it, if I didn't have a sense of humor about the whole thing I would have never survived.

It's another reminder that my daughter survived cancer. Sometimes I wonder if an entire day will go by without thinking about it ... the cancer. I doubt it, and that's not a bad thing, having cancer on your mind daily. I have a special reminder staring into my eyes each and every day. My little angel, my blueberry eyes, my little princess in pink (short hair and all). She is my constant reminder to appreciate the little things, to slow down a bit and to breathe.