Early on Mother's Day, my husband took me to our local bagel shop for a quick nosh before our family celebration. The courtyard was full of people and families. We picked a table outside in the sunshine and began a conversation with the table next to ours, a mother and son. She was wearing a pink ribbon visor and since it was the day after The Susan G. Komen Race for the Cure in SLC, we struck up a conversation about the general feeling of camaraderie experienced there. This led to a deeper discussion of the 'what kind of cancer' and 'how long ago' variety. We discussed treatment and swapped surgery stories. A younger couple came and sat just behind me at a nearby table but deep in conversation with my new friend I took little notice. Suddenly the young man stood, confronted us, and began to loudly protest our conversation. He claimed he was disgusted and outraged to hear such a discussion on Mother's Day. After more heated words, he stormed inside. My new friend and I decided not to let this ruin our celebration and resumed our visit. A young mother at the far side of the patio who witnessed the attack walked over. I quickly apologized if we had offended her. She leaned over to us and said, "Way to go - I'm part of the Sisterhood too, a five-year survivor." In that single sentence I saw an example of what could not, should not, be shut out. If we don't talk about it, if we don't share our experiences, we have not truly celebrated our survivor-ship. After a quick hug my new friend and I parted with words of encouragement and love. I went home to my children, and celebrated the most meaningful Mother's Day yet.

Wendy Holmes
Sandy, UT