By Sally Lanham

Time and distance -- both are a very necessary thing in life.  My daughter and I have not had time or distance from our "real life" for a very, very long time. As many may or may not know, Mary-Elizabeth, my 13-year-old child, was diagnosed with Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia in August of 2004.  We have had a harrowing struggle with the disease and it's consequences. 

It is an experience that no person should ever have to encounter.  It is devastating, life changing and heart wrenching.  The lessons I have learned during the trials of dealing with my daughter's illness are that is it do-able and it is possible to emerge from the other side of such an event in one piece and to be a better human being from having done so.

The cliché is not wrong:  "Time heals all wounds." Time is a great healer.   The secret of true healing comes from being able to put distance between oneself and the hurt.  In our case, Make-A Wish sent us to magical Venice, Italy, for 10 days.  Here is a photograph of my daughter and I while we were on our adventure:

Now I suppose I should take this bit of wisdom and try and turn it into a piece on the emotional consequences of dissolutions and healing and all of that stuff.  If I did that it would mean I had returned to work.  I am determined to resist reality at least until tomorrow . . .