Awareness Month

[For those of you who don't know, October is breast Cancer Awareness month. I get a lot of chain letters, but this one I decided to send on because, as a woman, its a very important subject.]

A handsome, middle-aged man walked quietly into the cafe and sat
down. Before he ordered, he couldn't help but notice a group of
younger men at the table next to him. It was obvious they were
making
fun of something about him, and it wasn't until he remembered he
was
wearing a small pink ribbon on the lapel of his suit that he
became
aware of what the joke was all about.

The man brushed off the reaction as ignorance, but the smirks
began
to get to him. He looked one of the rude men square in the eye,
placed his hand beneath the ribbon and asked, quizzically, "This?"

With that the men all began to laugh out loud. The man he
addressed
said, as he fought back laughter, "Hey, sorry man, but we were
just
commenting on how pretty your pink ribbon looks against your blue
jacket!" The middle aged man calmly motioned for the joker to come
over to his table and invited him to sit down. The guy obliged,
not
really sure why.

In a soft voice, the middle aged man said, "I wear this ribbon to
bring awareness about breast cancer. I wear it in my mother's
honour."

"Oh, sorry dude. She died of breast cancer?"

"No, she didn't. She's alive and well. But her breasts nourished
me
as an infant and were a soft resting place for my head when I was
scared or lonely as a little boy. I'm very grateful for my
mother's
breasts and her health."

"Umm," the stranger replied, "Yeah."

"And I wear this ribbon to honour my wife", the middle aged man
went
on.

"And she's okay, too?" the other guy asked.

"Oh, yes. She's fine. Her breasts have been a great source of
loving
pleasure for both of us and with them she nurtured and nourished
our
beautiful daughter 23 years ago. I am grateful for my wife's
breasts,
and for her health."

"Uh huh. And I guess you wear it to honour your daughter, also?"

"It's too late to honour my daughter by wearing it now. My
daughter
died of breast cancer one month ago. She thought she was too young
to
have breast cancer, so when she accidentally noticed a small
lump,
she ignored it. She thought that since it wasn't painful, it must
not
be anything to worry about."

Shaken and ashamed, the now sober stranger said, "Oh, man, I'm so
sorry mister."

"So, in my daughter's memory, too, I proudly wear this little
ribbon,
which allows me the opportunity to enlighten others. Now, go home
and
talk to your wife and your daughters, your mother and your
friends.
And here," the middle-aged man reached in his pocket and handed
the
other man a little pink ribbon.

The guy looked at it, slowly raised his head and asked, "Can ya
help
me put it on?"

This is breast cancer awareness month.

Do regular breast self-exams and encourage those women you love to
do
the same. Please send this on to anyone you would like to remind
of
the importance of breast cancer awareness.

A CANDLE LOSES NOTHING BY LIGHTING ANOTHER CANDLE. PLEASE KEEP
THIS
CANDLE GOING!

This one I do ask that you send on.