As I’m editing this issue of the Healing Circles Newsletter, the air in San Francisco has been smokey for over a week. Each day I see more people wearing respirator masks a reminder of the growing toll of people who have died in the Camp Fire and other fires in California. I also witness how people open their hearts to one another in dark times and this reminds me of circle practice. I am slowly learning that grief and gratitude coexist  I am excited about gathering with family next week for Thanksgiving. I hope the resources we share with you in this issue will foster resilience in your life.

The first is Beyond conventional Cancer therapies (BCCT) website https://bcct.ngo developed by  Michael Lerner and a team of researchers and patients to provide a guide of sort to all the options people, caregivers, loved ones want to navigate to give themselves the best chances of thriving in their changed circumstances and also support in making decisions in an area where sometimes there no overall right decisions, only the ones you feel are right for you.

After I was diagnosed with cancer I was afraid and motivated to find the best treatment options. I have been lucky that good conventional and integrative options are available to me Through trial and error I ended up combining both. Support was crucial and I got it not only from my family and caregivers, but also through the other people affected by cancer that I met through Commonweal. I have used my intuition when it has been available to me and think it and it has been a strong medicine for me. I still sit with uncertainty every day. I get regular follow-up with my doctors and still sit in circle and practice complementary therapies

BCCT does not recommend any specific therapies, The choices will be up to you. If this seems daunting find a trusted friend, doctor or integrative practitioner to guide you through the process. I wish it had been available to me 10 years ago.

No matter what therapies you choose there are some things that are nurturing and healing for everyone. Eating food is the basis of nurturing yourself. Eating makes me happy. One of the saddest things for me about going through cancer treatment was periods of losing my appetite.

Rebecca Katz and her Cancer fighting kitchen cookbooks and lively blog https://www.rebeccakatz.com helped me get through some low times. She is such a great ambassador for good nutrition and fun eating. Her lively attitude and love of Yum helped me to learn to nurture myself better.