I can do this.
2006-02-15, 7:57 p.m.

Take one lady, deposit her at Myrtle Beach yearly for a couple of decades, listen to her insistence that she does NOT burn, watch as she broils herself to a sizzling burnt umber year after year after year, wait a few more years, and what do you get?

You get a mother and grandmother with a suspicious tiny blotch on the back of her upper arm, who insists its nothing as her daughter nags her about it.

You get a mother and grandmother who almost forgets to ask her doctor about it at her last appointment, but remembers to show him as she�s walking out the door.

You get a mother and grandmother with a biopsy result of melanoma, and a daughter 350 miles away developing an ulcer.

It�s in the early stages and the dermatologist feels he can remove it all. She will have that done early next month. She�s not worried...yet. I�m not too worried...yet. But I will be.

I�ve already lost a parent to cancer. I can assure you that there are things out there that are far worse than death. I know that nobody lives forever. I am secure in my faith and that I will see my loved ones again. But that doesn�t stop the pain and frustration of being helpless while someone you love suffers, and it doesn�t stop how badly you miss them once they�re gone.

I can deal with this. I know that most likely everything will be ok. But for tonight, it�s time to invoke Rule of Moms #1:

Don�t let your children see you cry.

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