It is that time again, dear friends, for me to ask for donations to my Relay for Life. This year I spent a month in residences paid for by the Canadian Cancer Society that allowed me to access radiation treatments. Rural Nova Scotians truly rely on the Lodge that Gives and other CCS programs, and it means much to me to give back. To donate, click here.

A reminder too of my promise: if anyone donates $100 or more, I will buy a luminary in honour of or in memory of your loved one.

I do not know yet if radiation has helped me.  I have a scan in June and that will tell the tale. I have no “next steps” in the formulary, so my next effort will likely be experimental chemo. I just passed my cancerversary; remarkably, I have lived 13 years with stage IV cancer.

Canadians are greatly saddened by the passing of one of our musical greats, the gifted and mellifluous singer-songwriter Gordon Lightfoot. He was a great favourite of mine, and he has made his appearance in this blog several times. I evoked “If you could read my mind” as my thoughts about Dr. Two from my book The Cancer Olympics. Dr. Two was my family doctor for 15 years before she quit family medicine to become a hospitalist. And after I recovered from my massive Toronto surgery, I chose “Your love’s return” to express my sense of health homecoming. Today I will choose his 1968 song “Wherefore and Why.”  It is not my favourite Lightfoot song (which is the perfectly constructed and delivered “Beautiful” – I remember slow dancing to it with my Dad at my wedding 33 years ago). But nevertheless, this song is an optimistic appeal to consider what is vital in life: rapture in nature and and loving relationships. It pairs well with Relay.

When I woke this morning,

Something inside of me

told me this would be my day.

I heard the morning train,

I felt the wind change,

Too many times I’m on my way.

Come on sunshine, what can you show me?

Where can you take me to make me understand?

The wind can shake me, brothers forsake me

The rain can touch me, but can I touch the rain?

And then I saw the sunrise above a cotton sky

like a candy cane delight

I saw the milkman, I saw the business man,

I saw the only road in sight

Then I got to thinkin’ what makes you want to go,

to know the wherefore and the why?

So many times now, Oh Lord I can’t remember,

if it’s September or July

Come on sunshine, what can you show me?

Where can you take me to make me understand?

The wind can shake me, brothers forsake me

The rain can touch me, but can I touch the rain?

Then all at once it came to me,

I saw the wherefore,

and you can see it if you try

It’s in the sun above,

it’s in the ones you love,

you’ll never know the reason why

Come on sunshine, what can you show me?

Where can you take me to make me understand?

The wind can shake me, brothers forsake me

The rain can touch me, but can I touch the rain?

So much to lose, so much to gain

This story was published by The Cancer Olympics on May 24, 2023. It is republished with permission.