Another Turn Around the Sun: Celebrating My Birthday, My Blessings, and This Beautiful Life
- bjaucoin
- Dec 7
- 2 min read
I have always loved my Birthdays. For me, they have always signalled a party, a celebration, a reason to gather the people I love. Anyone who knows me knows that I have never needed much of an excuse to bring family and friends together. This year, as I mark another 365 days around the sun, that joy feels even deeper.
Since being diagnosed with stage IV cancer, with Google giving me less than five years, each Birthday has become more than a celebration. I choose not to look at old stats, but become part of new stats showcasing I can live a long life over cancer. Each Birthday has become a marker of life lived, hope held, and days cherished. I am here. I made it around the sun one more time, and that is something I honour with my whole heart.
This past year has been full and beautiful in ways that have surprised me. Writing my book, moving through the publishing phase, and launching it into the public domain was a true labour of love. As I wrote, I found myself reflecting on my life story. It was soul-quenching to realize just how many blessings I have had and continue to have.
Someone once said to me, “You have the greatest highs, but also the greatest falls in life.” Their words were true, yet the highs have carried me forward.
Of all the highs this year, the birth of our beautiful grandson, Callan Paul Aucoin, sits at the very top. Born under my sun sign, this sweet infant has already become the love of so many hearts in our family. His arrival has brought joy, light, and a renewed sense of wonder to our lives. His birth is the greatest gift.
Launching my book and travelling across the province were other highlights. Meeting readers, hearing their stories, and watching RISE make its way into the world was an honour. Knowing that 8 of the 10 libraries where I hosted book signings now have all of my books loaned out makes this teacher very happy. It reminds me that stories matter. Hope matters. Connection matters.
As I move onward to 2026, I pray, manifest, and hope for a year with no falls. I hope for continued success in building others' capacity through RISE. I look forward to joining my friends and family to create memories that will last a lifetime. And I remain determined to defy the statistics that Google so confidently presents.
If you are inclined to celebrate with me this year, I would truly appreciate a review of RISE on one of the platforms below. Every review builds confidence for others to receive the message within its pages. Your words help someone else say yes to support, yes to hope, and yes to rising in their own life.
Onward I go with optimism, faith, gratitude, and the brightest hope for my 62nd year.
Here is to another turn around the sun. Here is to celebration. And here is to life.
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