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Happy New Year!
I am celebrating the beginning of 2007 with the best news of my life. After six chemotherapy treatments over the course of the fall, and a battery of
tests the day after Christmas, my doctor gave me the good news on January 2nd, that there is no sign of cancer in my body! I am officially in
remission!
I don't think I've ever been so thankful for the brand new, fresh feeling of the New Year. The future
stretches in front of me - as always, with no guarantees - but so full of possibility. I look forward to this new season as I continue to heal, play
music, write about the most recent chapter in my life, and invest mightily in the relationships and experiences that mean the most to me.
I hope all of you have reasons to feel gratitude and enthusiasm for the gift of life in this New Year, and
that you will be inspired each morning to vibrantly live the day in front of you.
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Tips for Healthy Living
January's Recipe of the
Month
A we make our way back to healthier eating (after the effects of the holidays on our waistlines), we thought we'd share a recipe that is easy, tasty and very
healthy!!
This is one of those recipes that becomes a method; once you get the hang of it, you can substitute
flavors, add or
substract ingredients that you love or don't! Be creative!
Baked Mediterranean Chicken with Wild Rice
4 thawed uncooked chicken breasts
Salt & pepper to taste
1 tsp. dried basil
1 - 15 oz can diced tomatoes, undrained
1 small jar marinated artichoke hearts, drained & roughly chopped
1 small can sliced mushrooms, drained
1/2 cup roughly chopped mediteranian style olives (Kalamata or Green work well)
1/2 cup shredded mozarella cheese
Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
Place chicken breasts in a 9x13 baking dish and season on both sides with salt, pepper and dried
basil.
Top the chicken breasts with the tomatoes, artichoke hearts, mushrooms & olives. Bake uncovered for 45
minutes. Sprinkle the mozarella cheese over the top and continue baking until cheese is melted and bubbly.
While the chicken is baking, follow the directions on the box for an Uncle Ben's Wild Rice blend of your
choice. Serve with a salad of mixed greens, cucumbers & tomatoes with a light Greek or Italian dressing!
Recipe/method courtesy of Trish & Adam James! Thank you!!
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Celebrating the Imperfect
Life!
Seminars and Workshops on Well-being
As a cancer survivor, Ruth has a deeper message
to share on the topics of
well-being, life meaning
and balance that she has inspired audiences with for years.
If you are interested in booking a Music of Life
evening of music and inspiration, or scheduling
a workshop series or weekend retreat program,
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The Music of Life:
Journal Entries from my Season with Cancer
Tuesday, January 2nd, 2007, was the beginning of a new chapter in my life. I couldn't have heard better news from my oncologist - my scans and
tests showed no sign of cancer, I was done with chemo, and I was in remission. And yet, as my husband and I left the doctor's office, we both felt
kind of numb. We had so much to celebrate, but we were too exhausted and overwhelmed to know where to begin.
Since July 28th, the day of my surgery and diagnosis, my life has revolved around getting exactly to this point - successfully navigating the
challenges of 6 hard chemo treatments and achieving remission, the first step towards being cured. After hearing the good news from my doctor, I had
the strangest feeling of being gently nudged off the lifeboat that swept me up five months ago, and told to swim on my own to the shore; a shoreline
I can now see, but one that will still require strength, conviction, healing, time, and prayer, for me to find my footing on solid ground.
Fortunately, I've been blessed by the insights of other cancer survivors who've been right where I've been, every step of this journey, and so I know
this feeling is completely normal.
Lance Armstrong - arguably the most famous cancer survivor in the world - talks about his
fears of recurrence, and months of aimlessness after his remission from testicular cancer in his first book, It's Not About the
Bike.
At one
point, he'd all but decided to retire from cycling, after the shattering of the "bullet-proof life" he'd taken for granted before his own, stunning
diagnosis. He wrote, "People think of my comeback as a triumph, but in the beginning, it was a disaster." The fact is, Lance went through a long,
difficult process before his triumphant winning of the Tour de France as a cancer survivor in 1999.
As I write this, I am tearfully thankful for this second chance at living my life. I am also on a roller-coaster of emotions - elated, sad,
impatient, reluctant, confident and terrified - and I will have these feelings for a long time. They will be a part of the rest of my life's story,
along with the many insights and lessons of my season with cancer. As I pull my way to the shore, I will continue to be buoyed by the disciplines,
lifestyle choices, and most importantly, the love and prayers of more people than I can count. As many times as I've wished this had never happened
to me, I have to admit I wouldn't have missed this journey.
It has been, and continues to be, an unexpected gift.
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