Every Step a Story: Marguerite’s Path to Peace and Healing
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Some stories are best told by the people who lived them
The following story is shared in our guest, Marguerite’s words.
Every journey begins with the first step. It can be a baby step, an all-out leap, or something in between. In my case, the first step was a breast cancer diagnosis that came at me like a wrecking ball. It forced me on a path of fear, pain, anxiety, and deep disappointment in people I thought would always be there for me, but were not.
I am in the ninth “season” of my cancer, and just like Winter, Spring, Summer, and Fall I have experienced many changes as I navigate this disease physically, mentally, and emotionally.
The surgeries, treatments, and therapies that come with cancer are a lot to deal with, but this isn’t the first time in my life I had to play an unlucky hand. At a very young age I knew I had to find ways to bring a sense of order to the chaos that was my home life.
I needed a place to process difficult emotions, quiet the noise, and simply breathe. So, I built one. I created a tiny room under the stairs in the basement of my childhood home. It had a creaky door, a lock, a peephole, and mismatched squares of shag carpeting. I painted the walls with my initials, colorful daisies, and neon peace signs. I would sit in there for hours listening to music, burning incense, and simply escaping. It was a twelve-year-old’s haven, and I called it “My Little Room.” It was a place where I could breathe, nurture myself, and heal. I built myself a retreat.
Many decades later, as I plod through the endless parade of doctors, tests, and procedures that cancer brings, I once again find myself in need of the same kind of reprieve that My Little Room gave me as a young child. I yearned to go somewhere to unload the weight I had been carrying, and simply breathe in serene beauty. Incredibly, I found it at Mary’s Place by the Sea. Or, possibly it found me.
After taking virtual yoga classes for a few months, I recently attended a two-night retreat at Mary’s Place where eight women arrived as awkward strangers and left as a supportive sisterhood. I immediately felt an unspoken understanding that no matter how hard it gets, none of us was going to give up. My time there gave me strength and nourished my body and soul. Being cared for in such a beautiful place, surrounded by beautiful women sharing their stories, was absolutely magical. The retreat provided exactly what I needed, both companionship and solitude. It gave me the inner peace I need to keep moving forward.If you’re looking for connection, encouragement, or simply a community that understands, please know that Mary’s Place is here for you, either in-person with a retreat or daily through our Virtual Services Program. You don’t have to walk this journey alone.
With God’s grace and my husband and daughter at my side, I strive to live my life with hope and believe myself to be a person first, and a patient last.
I encourage any woman who is faced with a cancer diagnosis to become part of the Mary’s Place community in whatever way resonates for them. It is truly a haven for the hurting and a nurturing place for anyone walking the difficult road of cancer.
My health journey has become somewhat of a quest as I seek to keep as much love, beauty, peace, and joy in my life as I can. I will be forever grateful that Mary’s Place by the Sea is a part of my quest, and that they will be there for me as I take the next step, and the one after that.
Thank you Mary’s Place by the Sea.
Sincerely,
Marguerite
We know every step, every story and every journey is unique. We hope you’ll join us as we celebrate the incredible women we serve at our Annual Walk-A-Thon & 5K this October.
https://runsignup.com/Race/NJ/OceanGrove/MarysPlacebytheSeaWalkathon
