The Nitty-Gritty Gritty Blog Explained. (Scroll down or click on recent posts to read the most current blogs.)
Merriam Webster defines grit as both a noun and a verb. As a noun, it can be “small loose particles, sand or gravel,” or something similar. I kind of see my cancer that way. My body has a bunch of loose particles, and I have experienced lesions that look a bit like sprinkles of gravel on the CT Scans and MRI pictures. Technically, cancer is a normal cell (or cells) gone rogue rather than a foreign object like grit, and it is much larger and more dangerous than a piece of sand in your shoe. However, I think this concept of grit could fit. (See what I did there?)
When you get a piece of grit in your shoe, it is an annoyance. It is a constant source of irritation. Some people stop the journey because of the discomfort; hikers take off the boot and remove the pebble. They immediately find relief. If left unchecked long enough, it can rub the skin raw, turning into a sore that potentially becomes infected and impacting the rest of the body with fever, chills, and even death.
We have done what we can to remove the cancerous grit throughout my body. Previous blogs will tell the whole story, if you have time to read it all. While my body is currently stable, and has been for several years, the cancer and treatment are ongoing. Body scans continue to show “hot spots,” but they have not progressed since 2019. It is very likely the spots in my bones are where the cancer was, rather than where it is.
I am a lifer. Although I look healthy, until they discover a cure for stage 4 metastatic breast cancer, I will most likely be in treatment for the rest of my life. (You can read further about my treatment in various blog posts.) Like grit, cancer and treatment continue to annoy due to the frequency, side effects, and ongoing pain where the cancer has impacted various parts of the body. Like grit, I am reminded that what starts small can grow into something more serious if it is not treated (and sometimes continues to grow even when it is treated). Like grit, it is annoying, but I am pulling off the shoe the best way I know how.
The fourth definition of grit (noun) is also why I named my blog the Nitty-Gritty Gritty Blog. Webster defines grit as “firmness of mind or spirit: unyielding courage in the face of hardship or danger.” That definitely fits. Regardless of the hardships, I remain steadfast in my journey with God as my support and encourager. I have unyielding courage because his Holy Spirit is holding my hand. My friend Jesus walks beside me and keeps me company during treatments and scans. This blog will take you through a dangerous journey I have encountered, and continue to hike each day. It will do so with the firm and courageous spirit which God has provided.
Lastly, grit (verb) is also defined, “to cover or spread with grit.” I like that. That’s what I aspire to do, cover you with grit. Spread the grit. Make you gritty as well! In this blog I also hope you catch the courageous spirit as we look at day-to-day life with breast cancer. Breast cancer which was deemed “cured,” but metastasized to other parts of the body. Breast cancer which is deemed by medical journals and doctors as terminal; yet, life goes on! I hope you apply each lesson to your life and realize you too can have firmness of mind and spirit and unyielding courage in the face of hardship or danger.
Perhaps you are also experiencing a difficult journey right now. Or maybe you are just a kid and you have a long journey ahead of you. Whatever your stage in life is, please know that God can grant you peace and comfort as you encounter grit in life, and he can cover you with grit to pull through!
This blog is nitty-gritty, because we get down to business. And it’s a gritty blog, because my mind and spirit are firm. I hope reading my story will provide you with a bit more grit as well.
It isn’t the mountain ahead that wears you out;
it is the grain of sand in your shoe.
~Anonymous~
P.S. Some people may wonder why I started ending my blogs the way I do. I chose this tagline because I love the French culture. I have many French friends, and I am trying to learn how to speak their beautiful language. I also close with this phrase because I believe we will meet again whether in a blog, on earth, or one day in Heaven.
À la prochaine…until next time.
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