Conversations with Calliope- Between Me and the River

(Between Me and the River- Cover)

JOE: Good morning Calliope. I have a book review to share with you today.
CALLIOPE: Great. Let me see it.

Between Me and the River by Carrie Host

In The Right to Write, Julia Cameron observes, "My body which carries a knowledge deeper than my mind, has answers for me as an artist and a person." In her new book, Between Me and the River, Living Beyond Cancer: A Memoir (Harlequin, 2009), Carrie Host chronicles her encounter with the river of cancer, sometimes paddling along, sometimes caught in the rapids and sometimes grasping desperately for the shore.

Her account reminds me of Dante's Divine Comedy, especially the Inferno with its River Styx and the Purgatorio where her body, mind and soul are purified. She never quite makes it to the Paradiso, although none of us do in this life. From the start of her account, I wanted to push or pull her boat to safety or paddle with her.

Before her encounter with cancer Carrie wrote poetry. She learned to watch, listen, smell, touch and taste the joys, frustrations, fears, defeats and victories punctuating her voyage. She shares with the reader her poignant observations, thoughts and feelings as her body experiences them. You will share with her the sting of each setback and the glory of each victory. As Julia Cameron says, "We store memories in our bodies. We store passion and heartache. We store joy, moments of transcendent peace."

Carrie's book shares her perspective on wrestling with cancer, from the loneliness of facing it alone inside her body to the loving support of her thirty-eight muses who helped write her story. She starts writing with the goal of finding an ending to her story. Eventually she does, "Radiating pure light, I've surreptitiously come to a place with winter clarity along the banks of a magnificent river, its roar a vague whisper, a place with all words sleeping."

Conversations with Calliope- Dialogue with My Muse

(New Orleans Cemetery)

JOE: Good morning Calliope.
CALLIOPE: Good morning Joe. How was your weekend?
JOE: Different. I didn't do any running around yesterday although it did occur to me.
CALLIOPE: How did you spend your day?
JOE: I stayed home and worked on my writing instead.
CALLIOPE: What did you accomplish.
JOE: I wrote my next column called Loving in the Shadow of Cancer.
CALLIOPE: Prompted by your visit on Friday?
JOE: Yes. It had quite an impact on me. I realized we have more choice of how we handle life's challenges. We don't always get to choose what challenges we have to face but we do have a choice of how we react.
CALLIOPE: Is that a revelation to you?
JOE: Not really. But when I see love in action even given extreme circumstances, it is a good reminder of life's possibilities.
CALLIOPE: I'm looking forward to reading it on Saturday. Did you accomplish anything else?
JOE: I worked on my second commonsense wisdom book. I discovered that "quotes" would probably be a useful keyword for me in marketing the book. I decided to start each passage with a relevant quote and even added one to my next column.
CALLIOPE: Is this a new idea for you?
JOE: No. I had planned to start each chapter of The Pastor's Inferno with a quote from Dante's Inferno. Then I ran into copyright difficulty. I did not realize I could use a public domain version of the Inferno until I had already submitted the manuscript for publication. Oh, well. Talk with you tomorrow.

Conversations with Calliope- Dialogue with My Muse

(Sunset in Key West)

JOE: Good morning Calliope.
CALLIOPE: Good morning Joe. How are you today?
JOE: Reflective.
CALLIOPE: About what?
JOE: In our travels yesterday, Carol and I spent the morning with a friend who is dying of cancer.
CALLIOPE: What was that like?
JOE: I was glad we did it but it wasn't easy. She has very little energy and spark left and was only barely able to carry on a conversation. I remember when she was bright, bubbly and full of life. Just an ember remains.
CALLIOPE: That must have been hard.
JOE: It was, but more so for Carol who lost her mother and sister and several other friends to cancer. She also went through a bout of her own.
CALLIOPE: Have you ever had to face cancer directly?
JOE: It depends on what you mean by directly. I struggled through Carol's diagnosis and treatments, but have never had cancer myself.
CALLIOPE: What did you learn from yesterday's experience?
JOE: That it is possible to remain loving and in love during the most extreme challenges. I am writing my next column about it and have it mostly finished.
CALLIOPE: So you plan to share the experience with others?
JOE: I do. The impact was quite profound. Talk with you on Monday.

Conversations with Calliope- Dialogue with My Muse

(Carol and Sharon- Breast Cancer Walk- Rochester)
JOE: Good morning Calliope.
CALLIOPE: Good morning Joe. How are you today?
JOE: Fine.
CALLIOPE: Tell me about your day yesterday.
JOE: One thing led to another. I started the day participating in the Making Strides Against Breast Cancer walk.
CALLIOPE: Does that have a personal significance for you?
JOE: Yes. My girlfriend Carol is a three year survivor of breast cancer. Her mother and one of her sisters died of it and she has another sister and a fair number of friends who are survivors.
CALLIOPE: How did participating affect you?
JOE: I didn't realize it at the time but then spent last night looking at my life, what it means and what I need. I tend to ignore these most of the time and concentrate on what I can offer others.
CALLIOPE: What did you do specifically?
JOE: I spent some time playing the guitar, drawing, reading The Mastery of Love by Ruiz and listening to music.
CALLIOPE: What kind of music?
JOE: I discovered a new music site, Pandora Radio, which lets you create music stations to fit your own taste. It also learns your taste, suggests and supplies music which fits them.
CALLIOPE: What was that experience like?
JOE: Extremely comforting and relaxing. I am listening to Enya Radio as I am talking with you. See you tomorrow.

Zest for Life

Yesterday I felt aware of people who ignored traffic rules such as turn signals and cell phones, sniped at each other and ignored others' needs and wishes. On my drive to Spencerport for the Relay of Life, I was aware of the wonderful scent of honeysuckle seemingly eminating from every stand of trees. It transported me into a different dimension. When I arrived at the Relay, I was aware of a sea of purple-shirted cancer survivors surrounded by their friends and families. Contrary to what one might expect at an event focusing on cancer, the mood was one of celebration and remembrance of loved ones as well as hope for the future. On the way home, the honesuckle kept me focused on the sweetness of life which all too often we seem to forget.