Three little elves left flowers and cards on my doorstep last night. My heartfelt thanks to them, and I wish I could join them at our book club meeting tonight. The spirit is more than eager. The body is feeling puny.

I’ve come through Monday’s surgery pretty well. I’m now a one-day breast cancer survivor. It’s a sisterhood I never aspired to join. Since my diagnosis, I’ve discovered we are legion. From the admitting nurse who checked me in to the nurses who cared for me, many had stories of their own to share. They held my hand and calmed my fears. I owe them a great debt of thanks.

There was good news yesterday, too. The HER2 test result, which indicates the aggressiveness of the cancer, was negative. That news, moments before surgery, gave me great relief. There was even greater relief afterward. The surgeon told me my lymph nodes were clear. It will be a few days before the final pathology report. But things are looking up.

A great big hug to my family who has been there for me and came to me right away in the recovery room. More hugs to surgeon Marla Anderson and her wonderful crew. And smiles all around to my book club friends. I think they’d be happy to know I spent the preoperative part of yesterday reading The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society. It’s a marvelous book given me by a friend in my writers group.

As writers doing our solitary work, we tend to feel all alone. I know now I need never feel that way again. For today it’s back to some rest, that cup of coffee denied me before surgery, and my book. I can hardly wait to read more!