When my Mama was going through a really rough patch with her second treatment, and in the hospital again from the vomitting, things werent looking so good for her, the ER doctor said she had 2 weeks to live, and that chemo would not benefit her. My sister and I sat at her kitchen table one evening trying to console one another after we had just lost our father one year ago. I looked up at Mama's bookshelf there and saw those 3 little words. Are they really just words? NO...then it just dawned on me.  My sister keeps telling me, we always have HOPE, Pat, we always have HOPE. At that point I really didnt think we had hope anymore. How could we have hope when the doctors thought she had barely 2 weeks left with us? We had already been through the death of our father that was still a tender time for us. I really could only think, well, HOPE is LOVE because we still LOVE our Loved ones very much and will do so forever. And then right next to love, there stood Peace. We have Peace, no matter what the situation turns out. Either way, if she is here with us for a little while longer, or if not, we WILL have PEACE..... there is no other way to accept it, other than it is what it is. This was a very emotional time for me to actually be "shown" how to accept my mothers illness. I know it sounds a bit cliche' with the words and all, and they are common words people use with situations like this, but it really means alot.  Now everytime I go somewhere, it seems like that one word "HOPE" keeps popping up everywhere! I am always reminded that we have hope no matter what will follow after that..... and thats just my way of accepting it. I am very grateful for having my mother for as long as she has been with us, as some are less fortunate. I will continue to have the HOPE, and LOVE, and when its time, PEACE.....