There are times in this life that you hit a crossroad and find yourself asking “how will I survive this?” We all have had those moments. Maybe it was a death in your family or a divorce. It could have been a car accident or a tough time in school. For me, it was a cancer diagnosis. On days like that, you remember all the tiny details whether you want to or not.
On October 6, 2022, I got a phone call from the doctor letting me know I had two types of breast cancer. The world seemed to stop, and I asked myself “how will I survive this?” For most of my life, I lived with the mentality of pulling up my bootstraps and moving forward one step at a time. And that works for a while but when your emotions catch up with you, it’s a disaster. Through years of counseling, I learned that I cannot just pull up my bootstraps and move forward. On that day in October, I decided not just to survive but thrive. I had to feel fully what had happened and live in the moment. My faith helped too!
You may be in a similar situation with a new diagnosis or results from a scan that you did not want to get. Or you are in a completely different tough situation. Either way, what got me through the tough days was true community. You can find community if you look for it. You can find it at your church, a support group, or even in your neighborhood. True community is when people show up to be there for you – cooking meals, picking kids up, donating gift cards, listening, and so much more!
If you do not have a community surrounding you, I encourage you to find it. Having people walk you through life and cheer you on makes all the difference in the world! If you know someone going through a tough time, you have an opportunity to be their community. Show up. Do things for them without asking. Just be there.
I love this quote by Coretta Scott King:
“The greatness of a community is most accurately measured by the compassionate actions of its members.”
I am so grateful for my community of friends, families, and strangers for their compassionate actions during my cancer journey.
MEET RACHAEL: Rachael Walkup has lived in North Georgia all her life. Since 2006 – The Walkup family has made Forsyth County their home.
Along with being a wife and mom, Rachael is an avid blogger, social media expert, owner of CummingLocal.com, and project manager for Lighthouse Family Retreat.
She loves comfortable clothes, good coffee, and deep conversation. She also lives by a paper planner as she is the queen of organization.