So first off, news

Earlier this year, Elora's mom was diagnosed with breast cancer. It was low grade, easily removed, and she just finished up her radiation therapy. There was some worry on our part, but she reassured all of us early on that the docs caught it very soon and excised it perfectly. They did tell her, however, that this cancer was genetic in nature, and they encouraged all of her children to get tested. So Elora went in for her first mammogram.

(As an aside, seriously, ladies? You deserve so, so, so much more respect and love than you receive! I watched the whole process; I've watched Elora go through OB/GYN appointments; I've been there with her during her cycles and throughout all of the horrible, intense things your bodies do constantly. PLUS all of the trauma and anxiety you have to endure every damn day while living in a world not built for you. Ho. Ly. $#!+. You deserve all of the love and respect and kindness and tenderness and gentleness and encouragement and applause etc etc etc in the whole damn world!)

And they found a lump. It is in the shape of a rectangle, about 1.5cm from diagonal to diagonal, and, from what we were told, in a place that cancer commonly occurs. They called with the results after that first mammo and said more imaging was necessary to determine exactly what this was, but from the mammo alone, they recommended us contact our GP for counseling. And for the next month, month and a half until we got into our appointment TODAY, we lived in some rather extreme stress. Tears, frustration, ground teeth, sleepless nights... she's my best friend, folks. She's my favorite person in the world, and the prospect of losing her is... well... I can't think about that right now.

I can't think about it right now because the results that came back today gives her a clean bill! They're not exactly sure what this Lego-shaped lump is, but it's non-cancerous and shows no sign of becoming so in the future. You have no idea the amount of relief we're feeling right now. I mean, part of us is waiting for the other shoe to drop, and it hasn't quite soaked in that it won't. We lost someone we loved dearly to cancer last year this time. Those feelings of loss and mourning compounded with the notion that Elora might have cancer herself was brutal. Absolutely brutal. But now... I feel like I'm floating. All I've been able to do today is just cuddle her and get her food and chocolate and rub her legs and feet and spoil her and pamper her. I am so, so grateful for this beautiful creature; I am so in love and in like with her. And I'm just so relieved that she's alright ^^

So other news!

I'm going to reopen writing commissions. I'm not going to take too many at first. I need to get back into the swing of writing. I haven't done anything aside from really cheesy Bluesky posts and overly long FA journals in over a year. Everything that happened in the fall and early winter of last year shut me down hard, but I'm finally feeling ready to take on this venture again. That, and we are also neck-deep in debt right now. Medical bills have always a looming specter, especially this past year. I need to do something more to give us some more breathing room and to help us better get ahead of the collectors. I'll post the commission form tomorrow. For the time being, I think I'll take two. I'm also going to go back through some of my already written pieces and give them a polish. I opened up a number of old stories the other day and cringed a bit at some of the grammar and spelling faux pas I committed. Plus, I want to send some folks the freebies I promised them way, way back when. That'll be a good way for me to get my practice on and to get a proper schedule established. I love writing, but I have no scheduling self-discipline.

So wish us luck! We couldn't have gone through any of this without your love and support and kindness. Thank you for strengthening us and lifting us up; thank you for reaching out and being there when we reached out. Thank you for forgiving me when I let stress get the better of me, when I grew distant and surly and cranky. Thank you for being you. Thank you for letting me and encouraging me to be the best me that I can. I cannot thank you enough. I cannot express my gratitude and my love and my absolute joy for all of you. You rock. And roll. All of the above.

Be well, folks. Catch ya later ^^