It’s October. Everywhere you look, you see pink. Pink ribbons, pink wigs, pink t-shirts, and pink logos for every product under the sun: pizza (Yes, I said pizza!), earrings, purses, yoga pants- you name it- it comes in pink. You will hear interviews, songs, and segments on your favorite talk show that focus on pink. This sea of pink signals it’s Breast Cancer Awareness Month. The songs are appropriately catchy and play on your emotions just right. The yoga pants are comfy and who doesn’t enjoy pizza from their favorite shop when it’s packaged in a pink cardboard box??!!

But pink…it’s not what you think. Pink is celebrating another cancer-free year on the calendar. Pink is finishing another bottle of Tamoxifen and wondering if you’re doing the right thing. Pink is stopping the regimen of Tamoxifen and wondering if you’re doing the right thing. Pink is waiting in the lab for blood work that measures tumor markers. Pink is the yearly chest x-ray and chatting with the technician about the importance of early detection. Pink is looking at life through a different lens. You laugh more easily. You cry more easily. Sometimes that chocolate tastes unbelievably delicious and sometimes your ears perk up when the nightly news announces the newest research study.

But pink.. it’s not what you think. Pink is feeling incredibly blessed to enjoy the summer sun and hold your husband’s hand. Pink is looking in the mirror at scars that used to make you cry but now… not so much. Pink is trying new things because…why not?! Pink is recognizing the margins in your life and getting rid of things that do not deliver joy. Pink is thinking of your oncologist as your super-hero… able to leap MRI’s in a single bound and tell you exactly what you should or should not eat.

But pink…it’s not what you think. It’s not a research fund, a 5K walk or run, or even your favorite athletic team donning pink sneakers. Pink is knowing in the depths of your soul that life is short, that everyone dies from something someday, and that our God is oh so merciful and kind. Pink… it’s not what you think. Pink is not a color.