strength

what do you say about a 26 year old like bridget beatty?

well, six months ago, you might say how gorgeous she is… how her energy for life is such a breath of fresh air…  what an infectious smile she has…  

personally i would say “there’s something about that girl that i love/we are gonna be good friends one day/i’m so glad my girls have her for an art teacher/she has such a fabulous name”

and today? 

you would say all those same things.  only you would say them with a different tone of sincerity and appreciation and awe.  today you know that bridget beatty has stage 2 breast cancer.

the smart, pretty, talented girl who has her first real job and her very own husband and a slew of pets to love on now has to take time out of her sweet little life to deal with this stupid thing called cancer.  and it’s tragic and it’s heartbreaking and it’s the most unfair.  but the greatest thing about bridget is that you spend 10 minutes with her, and she’s not the girl with cancer.  everything else about her shines so brightly that she makes having cancer seem like “i stubbed my toe earlier but it will be fine, now let’s go enjoy our day at the fair…”

my self and my girls and my church pray for her every single day.  but they aren’t desperate pleading prayers- mine at least… they are prayers of anticipation.  i’m really just curious to see how this cancer thing will be used in her life and the lives of those around her.  it sounds bold, but i’ve always had a sense of peace about it.  it’s why i felt completely comfortable saying to her from the beginning “i really don’t see this being more than a hiccup in your story”.  that’s not to make light of body-wrecking chemo, round after round.  or being a twenty-something and having your hairbrush be replaced by a lint roller.  or how it must feel to have to explain ”the news” over and over to friends and family and students and coworkers and curious people on the street.  i’m just saying, bridget is special and i’ve never seen cancer be used to spread such inspiration and positivity.  that’s not even a real word, but for her, it’s the perfect word.   

if you are lucky enough to know bridget,  you might want to know there will be a benefit for her:

October 16th {4pm}

Grandfather’s Barn

6901 Stillwell Beckett Road

Oxford, Ohio 

show her some support there, and whether you know her or not, show her some love here by comment if you’d like to.  i see on her FB wall that she touches the hearts of so many.  i can only imagine that it doesn’t hurt to be reminded that everyone is on your side.

  {for my beautiful friend who spells her name wrong  i adore you. -Bridgette}