After a cancer diagnosis, one woman learns to lean on her brothers for unconditional love and support when she can no longer stand alone.
A book left to stand alone on its bottom edge will inevitably fall. Bookends are often used to keep books standing tall, enabling the prospective reader to see the book's title embossed on its spine.
I liken myself to a single book (thick spined, of course) trying to stay erect without any help. I don't like to or want to depend on other people, so I am accustomed to flying solo in many aspects of my life. However, try as I might, I could not stand alone once my cancer diagnosis was revealed.
I put on a brave face and went through the motions of continuing "life as usual" at work, but under that facade was a tangled mess of nerves; too anxious to eat and sleep and ruminating about my uncertain future amidst a flurry of medical appointments and procedures.
Enter my brothers. They swooped in with their unconditional love and support and became the bookends that I so reluctantly, yet desperately needed. For a hot minute, my irrational brain hesitated-- I am the eldest sibling...I am the one who helps others...that is my role. Once I recognized that I actually NEEDED help, I let my brothers help me stand. I am one grateful sister.
Another thing about bookends, they will never become obsolete.
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