Author Archives: susanmsink@gmail.com

Life’s Qualities

Posted on January 5, 2022 by susanmsink@gmail.com

Quality of life is something one talks and thinks about a lot with cancer. Most of the time it’s an easy conversation with oneself: Is it worth it to undergo this treatment, that might be difficult and will certainly have … Continue reading →

Posted in Benedictine monastery, cancer, COVID-19, food, prairie, Uncategorized | Tagged , , | 5 Comments

Officer Down Published

Posted on November 18, 2021 by susanmsink@gmail.com

My first novel, Officer Down, is now available. I’m pretty excited about it– it looks beautiful and I can finally share this story with everyone. The cover, with an image by Jordan Duca, is beautiful. As a friend who is … Continue reading →

Posted in St. Joseph, the Farm, Uncategorized, writing | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

The Hoops

Posted on November 17, 2021 by susanmsink@gmail.com

I had to request all my records from the last five years, some by FAX (yes, fax) and some by CD, be sent to the Mayo Clinic in Rochester. Then they asked that I get a scan as it had … Continue reading →

Posted in cancer | Tagged , , , , | 1 Comment

The Trial

Posted on October 23, 2021 by susanmsink@gmail.com

About a minute after I found out I had Stage IV ovarian cancer, back in February 2016, I learned the word immunotherapy. For at least a year, and occasionally since then, people sent me links to videos and articles about … Continue reading →

Posted in cancer | Tagged , , , , | 6 Comments

The Break

Posted on October 20, 2021 by susanmsink@gmail.com

I’m seven weeks from my last chemo treatment. This round I had one infusion a month for two cycles, six months in total. After three months I had a scan that showed, for the first time, not progress but stability. … Continue reading →

Posted in cancer | Tagged , | 4 Comments

Shaped by the Land

Posted on September 2, 2021 by susanmsink@gmail.com

I grew up in Park Forest, Illinois, a south suburb of Chicago. Until I was 6, we lived in a neighborhood of co-op townhouses that faced onto forest preserve. That was an early and enduring term for me, “forest preserve.” … Continue reading →

Posted in garden, Park Forest, prairie, the Farm | Tagged , , , | 6 Comments

Drought

Posted on August 15, 2021 by susanmsink@gmail.com

Every year of this cancer journey, I’ve found a reflection of my physical state in the life of my garden. I have always seen the cancer as akin to a noxious weed, something that just keeps coming back and which … Continue reading →

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , , , | 9 Comments

The Anniversary

Posted on February 25, 2021 by susanmsink@gmail.com

My freezer and fridge are full of fancy food. I have a quality steak. I have a lamb roast and lamb chops from a local farmer. I have frozen mussels, and scallops, large shrimp, salmon. Frozen salmon ravioli I made … Continue reading →

Posted in cancer, COVID-19, food | Tagged , , , | 14 Comments

Seeing and Knowing

Posted on February 15, 2021 by susanmsink@gmail.com

One thing I love about winter is that when my husband Steve ends his landscaping season our conversations get more interesting. The winter is the time for the life of the mind and different types of creativity to emerge. Steve … Continue reading →

Posted in art, Park Forest | Tagged , , , , | 2 Comments

Christ the King

Posted on November 22, 2020 by susanmsink@gmail.com

Today is the feast of Christ the King. The Gospel reading is telling, Matthew 25:31-46 and it tells us all we need to know about the kingdom of God. The king separates the sheep and the goats, and the sheep … Continue reading →

Posted in politics, religion, Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , | 10 Comments