courage – dreamer | artist | painter

F CANCER

F it. FIGHT it. FINISH it. FIND a cure.
FIND a way to THRIVE, despite it.
And FORGET it, even if only for a moment.

FOCUS on HEALING and self-care.
And know that it’s okay to FEEL like
your diagnosis isn’t FAIR.

FEEL the big LOVE surrounding you,
And all of the support rallying all around you.

FIND BEAUTY in the quiet moments.
Remember what really matters
and what doesn’t, and then let go of it!

Bid FAREWELL to all
that does not support you healthily.
And do what’s best for you-
both physically and mentally.

FIND JOY in the small things.
Keep FAITH and hope alive.
Don’t sweat that, which you cannot control.
Stop FIGHTING your tears.
Allow them to FLOW, and then let it all go.

FIND and allow FORGIVENESS and grace,
and practice both daily.
Allow yourself time and space
to meditate and pray, FAITHFULLY.

And FEEL your FEELINGS all the way through.
But remember that cancer does not define you.

Give your anger a voice,
and then kill it with kindness.
And give your sadness a huge hug-
Because sadness reminds us-
that we’re only human, going through
an extremely difficult human experience!

FIND your STRENGTH.
FEEL your POWER.
And dig deep for the courage
to battle all the way to the FINISH LINE.
And then FIND, rediscover and recreate
the new you – and your new life…
And I hope you choose to shine.

Stand tall alongside all of the other courageous
warriors, cancer survivors, and thrivers-
Who will continue loving and supporting you,
FIGHTING with, and FOR you-
and cheering you on for the rest of time,
from the sideline.

And honor those who have sadly lost their battle
by living your best life for the rest of your life.

You are more powerful than you know.
And most importantly, YOU ARE NOT ALONE!

F CANCER in every way!

-Tanielle Childers © 4.9.24

The Power of Acceptance

Poetry by Tanielle Childers

…

I’ve grown
To understand-
There is great power
In acceptance.
By surrendering
To your current reality,
You free up
Enormous space & energy.
Stop fighting-
A losing battle.
Choose to rise up,
And light-
A brand new candle.
Open your heart
And your mind
Toward new,
Forward movement,
And opportunities.
This eye-opening
Realization
Will become-
Your blossoming,
Your purpose,
Your new identity.
It’s time to surrender,
And finally let go-
Of your anger,
Bitterness,
And sorrow.
For holding on-
Will only hold off
Tomorrow.
And fighting it
Will only-
Keep you stuck
In your same old,
Broken tracks.
Pray for the courage
To move on-
In faith, and hope
And for new possibilities.
For the time has come-
For you to take
Your power back.

-Tanielle Childers ©️ 3.4.2024

JUST KEEP GOING

Poetry by Tanielle Childers

Life is
An ebb and flow-
Of change
And letting go.
A rearranging-
Of old routines
And goodbyes
From what
You used to know.
And this-
You MUST do
In order to welcome
The new you.
You must
Brace yourself-
To embrace
Your changed life,
To see it all
In a new light-
In preparation
For this new chapter,
And a changing
Of the tides…
And you might find-
That you admire
The stronger you
More than-
You could have
Ever imagined.
I know that’s
A tough realization
To try and fathom…
And that’s not to say-
There won’t be days
Where you miss
The old you,
And what used to be-
See…
We are human,
And we seek comfort
In the familiar.
We love to reminisce
In the days when we-
Remember…
Happiness, bliss,
And laughter.
We wish
We could hold onto
The precious moments
We’ve captured-
With our loved ones
And friends.
But this BIG life change
Isn’t the end.
We must find the courage
To reinvent ourselves
And our lives,
And be willing to let go
Of old familiarities-
For growth happens
When we refuse
To give up so easily.
We must strive
To find and feel
Adventure
And excitement-
In this newness.
Taking in
And feeling grateful for-
Each moment
And everything
We’ve been blessed with.
Change is so-
HARD.
Incredibly hard!
Believe me, I get this.
But if you can
Learn to begin again…
Your end
Can blossom-
Into something beautiful,
Magical and meaningful.
The end
Of one chapter-
Might just be
The beginning
Of a different kind of
Happily ever after…
Just keep going!

-Tanielle Childers ©️ 9-20-23

You Can Overcome Anything

Poetry by Tanielle Childers

Dedicated to my kids … because life is never easy – and not without change. And because I want to make sure I pour my heart out in its entirety while I’m still here….And I want my words to continue speaking to their hearts long after I’m gone. 💛

“You CAN Overcome Anything”

The truth is
You CAN handle
Whatever comes your way-
No matter how big
Or how hard-
The life change.
You don’t handle
Everything all at once-
Or all in one day.
You handle it
In baby steps,
And long, deep breaths.
You handle it-
Moment by moment.
Just make the next
Right decision-
And do your best.
Sometimes-
You handle it-
With tears and talks
And late night texts.
You handle it-
With lots of hugs,
And I love yous.
You handle it-
With naps and walks,
Movies, ice cream,
Self-care, laughing,
Praying and gratitude.
You handle it-
With those
Who have your back-
At every turn.
Just keep going…
Lean into the change-
And always-
Learn.
You handle it-
Little bit by little bit.
And as you begin
To adjust to the changes-
You can gradually
Let go of the heaviness-
Or the overbearing weight of it.
And even if you never
Fully get over it-
You CAN get through it.
You ARE strong enough.
You ARE capable.
And I believe-
With all of my heart-
That you CAN do it.
I love you-
With everything
That I am-
And for as long
As I am able to…
I promise
To hold your heart-
And love you
Through it-
No matter what.
You are capable
And strong enough-
To get through-
And overcome
The hard stuff.

Love always and forever,

Mom

Tanielle Childers©️9/23

I Am 1 in 8

Poetry by Tanielle Childers, Uncategorized

Breast Cancer
I am 1 in 8.
Blinded by the diagnosis,
and still coming to terms
with accepting this
as my fate.

I could ask, “Why me?”,
and go to a sad,
dark place quite easily.
But that is a question-
that will never
be answered.
And staying there
would rob me
of my power-
Indefinitely.

Instead-
I choose positivity.
I choose hope.
I choose faith.
I choose humor.
I choose to find the things
that make me feel happy,
rather than focus only
on all the difficulty.
I choose gratitude.
And I choose my attitude.
Daily. And intentionally.

Breast Cancer treatment-
is a BIG mountain to climb.
A giant obstacle-
directly in front of me.
And I am facing it head on,
and riding the waves of change,
and the side effects
of every treatment
with as much grace
as I can, to the best
of my ability.
Overcoming this-
And sharing my story
and my journey
along the way-
is part of my life destiny.
And I believe that
wholeheartedly.

Breast Cancer-
Why me?
I will never know
the reason.
And I will never ask.
This is my life test,
and I’ve been
called to task.
I am 1 in 8.
And I will overcome.
I will do my best
to keep my chin up
through this adversity,
and my battle
WILL be won.

Breast Cancer
affects so many.
It’s shocking
when you’re
in the thick of it.
Giant hugs and honor
to all who have been
impacted –
by this enormity.
I stand among the
countless women
who have been down
this road before me.
And I look forward
to standing with them
at the finish line,
as a survivor
with a story.

How Great Is Our God

Poetry by Tanielle Childers, Uncategorized

This was written the day my chemo port was placed, and the night before my very first chemo treatment. I was terrified of all of the unknowns. I leaned into God at every scary turn and it was everything I needed and more – to get me through it. May this poem find those who need it and offer up all of the same to you in your time of need or for someone you love! Love, light and giant hugs to all going through their own life battles right now. May we become beacons of light in the eye of the storm we’re in, to give hope to all those who follow a similar life journey! 💗💗💗

Laughter is the best medicine – so don’t forget to laugh as often as possible to get those endorphins coming your way. Stay strong!

God’s grace-
is a glorious place.
A prayerful,
and meditative state-
filled with peace,
unconditional love,
and safe keeping.
Releasing,
And unleashing me
from all that burdens
my weary,
and tethered mind-
to fearful,
and unkind thoughts-
that slowly rise up
to the tip top.
Becoming louder
And more prominent,
and dominant
than my faith.
I pause in reflection-
And feel God beckon
me back-
to trust in Him
completely.
To not fear this road
I see in front of me.
But to believe in Him,
And to seek the beauty,
amongst the rubble
He has lovingly
bestowed upon me.
I must always retrace
my steps-
back to the quiet,
prayerful space-
when I feel lost-
And He will come
to greet me,
and I must lean in
with everything I am-
to learn every lesson
He is teaching me.
I feel renewed
by the power of faith
He has restored within me.
He refuses
to give up on me.
God’s grace
is everything.
Even through
all of these life trials,
and tribulations-
I am humbled and blessed
by the outpouring
of God’s greatest kindnesses,
and I am wholeheartedly,
and profoundly gracious.
I will do my very best
to remain steadfast,
and courageous-
in the face of-
my greatest challenges.
God’s grace-
Is the most glorious,
and peaceful place.
Where my tears
of gratitude
stream freely.
Where my heart
is overcome
by His eternal,
and everlasting
love for me.
God’s grace
never ceases-
to amaze me.
His amazing grace
always finds me
in the dark,
and reaches out
with his undying love-
to once again save me…

How great is our God!

I Choose Faith Over Fear

Poetry by Tanielle Childers

Life’s most precious moments-
are fleeting.
My heart is alive and well,
and still beating.

I’ve been busy living every minute-
to the fullest.
In the quiet moments,
I am grieving.
But in the face of it all,
I remain upright and stoic.

I may crumble in the dark-
but God brings me right back
to His light.
I may get angry at the journey
that lies in front of me.
But God is holding my hand tight.

I didn’t ask for this,
and I’d rather not have to do it.
But God brought me to this-
and He will bring me through it.

I choose to set my sights
on every silver lining
that lies before me.
I choose faith over fear,
and I hold onto hope
with all the courage I have-
even while I am mourning.

I believe wholeheartedly
that our life journey
is for a reason.
We may not understand
our hardships or life difficulties-
but we must remain steadfast,
trust in Him and keep believing.

I will give my all-
to be a beacon of bright light
for all who may go down
a similar life journey.
This isn’t me going into battle.
This is me going through some
tough-ass moments, letting go,
big personal growth,
and so much learning.

Cancer does not,
and will not ever define me.
I will rise and face the music
directly in front of me,
bask in God’s healing light,
and breathe in peace,
as I begin the painful process of
leaving this cancer behind me.