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Hello friends and family,

Please join me May 15th from 3-5pm at The Old Lantern for a free "funraising" event, Dance for Resilience. This event hopes to bring awareness and support to The Vermont Ibutwa Initiative! The Ibutwa Initiative's mission is to work with the women and children of South Kivu who have suffered sexual violence, to help them heal, and to rebuild their lives. For more information on their work visit www.vibi-ibutwa.org.

As in many cultures dance is a way for communities to come together, connect, heal and share. The thought around this event is to blend Congolese music and dance with Nia dance (a combination of dance arts, healing arts, and martial arts), uniting us in resilience for the women of the Eastern Congo. We have created this event not to dwell on the atrocities but to celebrate that we can make a difference!

Thank you to Yoga Roots, South End Studio, Localvore Today and Vermont Farm Table for their sponsorship! Also a special thank you to The Old Lantern, Top Hat Entertainment, Tretap and EvanWebsterINK!

I hope you will join me! 

With Gratitude,

Lynn

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Happy Holidays!

December 10, 2015

Dear Friends and Family,

I hate to admit this but every year around this time I find myself a bit crabby. I am almost the antithesis of "in the happy holiday spirit".  Since holiday cards are one of the things that adds to my "angry elf” demeanor I wanted to switch it up and write to let you know how much you are loved and appreciated always!  Friends and family, near and far, I treasure my relationships and am incredibly grateful for the opportunity to have you in my life.

This is very real to me! Each day we live in this beautiful, imperfect, scary, at times world and it is important that we hold those we love close to our hearts and let them know they are loved, whatever form that may take; face to face, a facebook post, an email, phone call, hug or just a thought.

Sending lots of love and light and wishing everyone the happiest of holidays!

Please know that our family is well. Our dynamics are changing quickly with two young adults, Stiles (Freshman at Gettysburg College) and Saige (Junior in High School) both finding their way, two crazy dogs (Baloo and Zoey) continuing to be crazy, Curt (starting a new company) and I (holding on for the ride). We are all getting older and maybe wiser. All is good!

 xo Lynn (now feeling much better about the holidays)

A day of celebration!

Celebration Team 2015
 Susan Stiles, Joanne Wolfe, Curt Stiles, Me, Curt and Andrea Mahoney

Last Sunday, September 20th was my own crazy concocted celebration of the day everything changed. As many of you know 9/19/12 I was diagnosed with breast cancer, the next day I took off work, climbed Camel's Hump and tried to process the news I had been given. I vowed to myself that day, I would hike Camel's Hump the very next year and every year thereafter to honor this journey.

This year the 20th snuck up on me as we were planning a wonderful event for Audubon Vermont. Saturday night we celebrated birds and Sunday morning we celebrated life! This wonderful life we have been given, that I am so grateful for every single day! But this journey could not be done without my family and friends and to whom I am deeply appreciative of their love and support!

The day was extremely meaningful because my Mom and Dad were able to join us. My Dad has been ill and has been courageously living life to the fullest after a stem cell transplant two years ago. This summer had been particularly rough and we never really spoke of whether he would be able to join us this year.

This picture is of the two of us on the mountain top! This man who could barely go up and down to the lake this summer, climbed a 4,000 foot mountain! Let me tell you I am from some strong stock!
Dad, Sunday was such a gift! Thank you!

Each year we climb up in silence and I hold each and everyone of you in my thoughts. If I had huge arms that I could wrap around all of you at once I would! Not only did we celebrate the gifts of life, family and friends but we celebrated the light that exists even in the darkest of times. We all have it! Thank you all for sharing it with me!

xoxo

Time for Camel's Hump! Sunday, September 20,2015

It's that time of year again! As always the invitation is open to join me to climb Camel's Hump, September 20th to honor the journey of being diagnosed with cancer, celebrating friendships and family, and reflecting on the light that comes with the darkness.

Here are the details:

3rd Annual Camel's Hump Hike
Date: Sunday, September 20th
Time : 9am rain or shine
Where: Camel's Hump Burrows Trail

We hike silent on the way up, celebrate at the top and talk all the way down! Let me know if you are coming so we can wait for you in the parking lot.

Love to all,
Lynn

September, 20, 2014!

The Celebration Team!

Two years ago, September 20, 2012, was a beautiful, crisp, clear fall day. But what I felt like inside, having just been diagnosed with Breast Cancer, was cloudy, scared and unsure of what the future would bring. This year I couldn't help but think of the woman I was 2 years ago. I wish I could have told her it was going to be OK, better than OK. The journey was going to be hard, gut wrenching at times and a mind "f@#*", but the beautiful things that would come out of the experience would outweigh all the painful parts. I would have told her that ahead of her were deeper connections to friends and family that she could never think possible but the best part would be a better connection to herself!

This September 20th the day was misty, cold and windy. Camels Hump was socked by a cloud. It was funny, I felt as though we were in our own world being snuggly held by the mist, almost in a huge hug! I was so lucky to be joined in celebration by the best friends and husband I could have ever asked for! During our silent hike up the mountain thoughts of friendship, love, hope, and even a bit of poetry filled my mind.

Friendship/Love is like a Climbing a Mountain

Sometimes it is rocky and sometimes love is smooth

Some Friends lead the way

Some have our backs

Some friends push us from behind to reach the top

Others take their own time

My poem is not very original or good but to experience the energy of hiking silently among friends and family is very powerful! The best part was I felt comfortable putting it out there. I was pretty sappy throughout the day but I felt so overwhelmingly grateful for this journey and the people who have made it all possible. 

Lately, I have been surrounded by a lot of bad news and I have been thinking of how do we survive, actually, more than survive in this world with so much pain but still remain happy and resilient? I spoke of this on our hike and I left our group with a challenge; next time you hear bad news whether it is a friend, family member or the media, take a deep breath, acknowledge the pain and then take a minute to open up to the possibility that something beautiful will be coming. You may not know when or what it will look like, but open yourself up to the inner knowing that with great pain there is great joy. I am just thinking that small bursts of positive energy will go far! It won't hurt to try! The next thing I hope people will take away is the willingness to surprise someone! Rob Nathan, my old middle school swim team coach did just that. His willingness to drive up from Connecticut on Saturday morning and put himself out there to support me was beyond anything I have ever experienced. He had been huge part of my Lynn Strong support team on Facebook and to have him acknowledge my journey in this way was unbelievable and humbling!

Thank you again for everyone that came on the hike and to those that sent well wishes the energy was palpable! Until next year! xo Lynn

Camel's Hump Climb! 9/20/14

Good morning friends,
Being Real means lets put the crappy stuff out there. I just got news that another friend has breast cancer and this cancer thing is feeling like an epidemic! What can we do with this negative energy? Make it positive! I am struggling right now but will get there.

Next Saturday is my official anniversary of diagnosis and my pledge that day was I would climb Camels Hump a year from then and here after! Like last year we will hike up in silence, honor our friendships and then celebrate at the top! We will talk up there and all the way down. Last year there was actually champagne too!

When:  Saturday, 9/20/14 rain date 9/21/14
Where: Burrows Trailhead then up to the Hump!
Time:   8am
 All are welcome! Just let me know if you are coming so we can make sure we are accounted for in the parking lot.

ps I do not get mad if you can't keep silent just try your best! You know who you are. : )


Lots of love, Lynn

Directions:

From the west the best approach is using VT Rt. 116 from Bristol to it’s junction with VT Rt. 17, turning right onto VT Rt. 17 go about 7 miles to a left turn onto Gore Road, which turns into Main Road.  Proceed on this road for about 6.2 miles to Camel’s Hump Road in Huntington Center, turn right onto Camel’s Hump Road, proceed about 3.4 miles to the Burrows Trail parking lot at the end of the road. 

Approaching the Burrows Trail area from I89 exit 11, use VT Rt. 2 to Richmond, turn right at the traffic light onto Bridge Street, proceed on this road, which turns into Huntington Road, then Main Road, just over 9.4 miles to Camel’s Hump Road in Huntington Center, turn left onto Camel’s Hump Road and go about 3.4 miles up this road to the Burrows parking lot at the end. 

What Does My Cancer Look Like 2 Years Later?

LIKE THIS!

Woohoo! This was taken yesterday and I have not stopped smiling! Let's be honest I had not been waterskiing in many, many years and it was not cancer that had put my skiing on hold! But it was having cancer that made me get my butt out there and give it a try again. Who knows when we will all have a chance again to water ski, hug a loved one or say I love you. You gotta get out there and do whatever it is that you say "next time I will"........We just have this moment in time and the motivation to take advantage of every minute has been my gift of breast cancer. Who knew that my boobs held so much power?

Along with healing I have been able to gradually take down my strength board over the last few months. I got to reread and process all the beautiful encouraging notes that I received during my treatment. You have no idea how much they lifted me then and now! I was lucky enough to reconnect with a college friend the other weekend and when I said, "I wouldn't have changed this journey for anything." She looked at me with disbelief but then quickly recognized that I meant it. My strength board is down and has been repurposed in my office with a few quotes posted here and there. Now the board is filled with some To Dos and goals for Yoga Roots, a warm community based yoga studio that was a place of healing and strength for me when I was in full recovery mode.  Now I am honored to be helping them with some marketing and I am doing my dream job! Who knew? That is the beauty of this life we all lead; no one knows what we will be doing tomorrow so as
Brene Brown always says, "Show up and dare greatly!"