WOW ............. that was an amazing day - 14 of us amongst 6,500 people in Bute Park, so many weird and wonderful outfits, including a giant woopie cushion...... and with so many messages of love and hope/remembrance pinned to all our backs - J shot off in the runners group, the rest of us safe in the walkers haha! I still walk my dog but for much shorted walk these days, so by the 2nd kilometre marker my feet were already aching! And as you can see, I had an early birthday pressie Tshirt from K! I was SO proud of all my friends who had come on the day, or donated, or organised, or supported, in so many different ways ... and then, going through the finishing line together, with my daughter Broni, hand-in-hand... well, that was one very emotional moment, as though a line had been drawn under the last 12 months . . . and to finish it with K, who has had her own cancer journey... important milestone for us both, and C and her friend B too, from 'Macland', and somewhere in the crowd (we lost loads of people!! ) was C, cheering us on :)
I was on a high, albeit an exhausted one, for days afterwards!
The following weekend was my birthday. It turned into something of a mini festival, with some people camping Fri to Mon, so we warmed up Fri night and had the party Sat night... tents and campers filled the field, gazebos and tealights and a fire in the garden, with my rum punch (heh heh) and friends and our DJ and lanterns too ... it was STUNNING. Lots of people have said how it must be the first of many "Festival Cariad's" haha!! I found it so wonderful and very emotional, that (most of) my favourite people were all in the same place at the same time, and that how gorgeous each of them are, was obvious to all :) I am blessed with beautiful friends, and LOVED the whole weekend. The best gift was all of my friends being there, and then I was spoiled by some stunning and touching gifts, some of which blew me away! Folk put a lot of thought into it all, so let me say THANK YOU again .x.x.x.
I had a good friend message me yesterday, apologising for 'not being around enough' .. but as I said to her, it IS the thought that counts, because all that positive intent builds up and up and it was expressed at my party in one huge wave of love that was palpable ... the atmosphere fairly crackled with positivity and love and I'm still riding on it now - and which was the same atmosphere at the Race for Life, I was completely bowled over when Claire formed the team idea and I was so proud and humbled by my friends .. AND, the love and good thoughts from everyone I know, coupled with MY intentions and damned stubbornness, and refusal to leave my 3 daughters behind!, is what saw me through this last 12 months ... as Jung said, "I am not what happened to me, I am what I choose to become". So here's to love, and visualisation, and being a stubborn cow, and kicking cancer's arse.
