Life & The Sunday Series

Find your why and find your way. Become more.

  • About Mark Brodinsky
  • Contact
  • The Higher Shelf!
  • Home

Need inspiration to find your why and your way?

Join the Tribe Today!

Home: It’s Just About… Life.

November 21, 2013 By markbrodinsky Leave a Comment

home is where the heart is

If I could go back home, if I could go back home.
If I never left, I’d never have known.
We all dream of leaving, but wind up in the end
spending all our time trying to get back home again.

– Elton John, Home Again

It’s almost that time of year where plenty of people do just that. Thanksgiving is one week away, so many will go home, or invite family and friends into their own. It doesn’t have to be the home where you grew up, home on this holiday is where everyone you love, or want to be with is gathering. Home is where the heart is.

They lyrics at the top of this blog talk about going home, about getting back to a place where in your mind’s eye, you feel safe and secure.

Home = Heart. Physically yes, emotionally as well. Want to go home? Then stop and remember what to look for in you heart, what keeps it beating? How about love and gratitude. It’s easy to go astray, each day can take you to places high and low, like the wildest rollercoaster ride you’ve ever been on. But at least once a day, if you pause and think about it, maybe right when you get up, or just before you go to sleep, or even right in the middle of your craziest day… stop and think for even one minute.

What am I grateful for? What happened today, or yesterday for which I have gratitude? There have to be a couple of things…on the craziest day of your life, there are still a few things which can make your heart smile. A simple thank you from someone, a nice word, a gesture of kindness, something you noticed that gave you pause, a smile, a moment, where if you really think about it then you realize life is OK, it’s more than Ok. You are thankful. You are grateful.

Gratitude. Abundance. It takes a little bit of work, but not much, to appreciate what you already have and not focusing on what you don’t, or mistakes you made, but instead focusing on what is right there in front of you. Try it. Not just for one day, but for more. It won’t take many days to make it something you look forward to. The goal is to enjoy life, not simply endure it. Have gratitude and you will.

Give it a shot. What a perfect time, you’ve go a week to go before Thanksgiving to make it a habit. Before you go back home… go back home. Because home is where your heart is.

Until next time, thanks for taking the time.

Mark

Mark Brodinsky, Author
It Takes 2. Surviving Breast Cancer: A Spouse’s Story.
#1 Amazon Best Seller
www.spouses-story.com
markbrodinsky@gmail.com

{total}Tweet
{total}+1
{total}Like
{total}Share
{total}Pin

1% + 99%: It’s Just About… Life.

November 19, 2013 By markbrodinsky Leave a Comment

percent
Life is 1% victory lap, 99% about the process.

I overheard someone say that line the other day so I wrote it down and gave it some thought. It rings true. The accolades, the trophies, the victory lap is fleeting, only a few minutes in time. If you won’t do the work, if you can’t master a plan and if you don’t embrace the journey, then you’re second place at best and maybe even less. The winners are the ones who go the extra mile… but even then, if you simply rest on your laurels others who are still doing the process will pass you by.

You have to continually get back into the ocean of life and find the strong current, your proper process, because it makes it easier…not that your swim won’t be without rough seas and big waves, but if you are a strong swimmer it won’t matter. Doing what you love to do is a huge advantage, because you will find a way to not get pulled under, to stay afloat and find the shore. The process will get you there, but you can’t stay on that island for long, if you do, you become a castaway waiting to be rescued, hoping for a miracle. No, pretty soon it’s time to jump back in and do it again.

99% about the process. Almost all of life is about the journey, the hard work of doing what you were meant to do, using it to help other people and then reaching a memorable victory. It’s inside of you, you’ve got everything you need to fulfill your dream, but you don’t really know what’s inside until you put a demand on your potential. Bring it out, harness the passion for doing something bigger than yourself and the payoff is enormous.

The victory is only 1%, but the process and the satisfaction of doing what it takes to reach your dream will fill your life with joy.

1% + 99% = 100%

Get there.

Until next time, thanks for taking the time.

Mark

Mark Brodinsky, Author
It Takes 2. Surviving Breast Cancer: A Spouse’s Story
#1 Amazon Best Seller
www.spouses-story.com
markbrodinsky@gmail.com

{total}Tweet
{total}+1
{total}Like
{total}Share
{total}Pin

The Sunday Series (6), With Mark Brodinsky

November 17, 2013 By markbrodinsky 6 Comments

Fisher Family 2
It’s Sunday. The day I pour my life into yours. The day I tell your story. A story of courage, hope, or inspiration.

The Sunday Series (6): A Fight to the Finish

Throughout history there have been epic battles fought in the ring: Ali vs Frazier. Leonard vs Hearns. Tyson vs almost anyone in the 1st round. Even the make-believe heavyweight fights we love up on the big screen, including the king of them all, Rocky.

Then there are the epic fights which might take place just around the corner, sometimes in the shadows, without fanfare, but with a much deeper meaning than a simple sporting event. A battle for survival. This is the story of one such fighter, Daron Fisher.

It was August of 2010, Daron, a healthy 43-year-old father of two suffers a seizure on the train ride back from New York. He was returning from helping with a marketing campaign for MGH advertising. For Daron, the job he loved was about to take a back seat to a bigger challenge; tests showed a small mass inside his brain, a tumor. Daron’s wife Beth remembers the time well. She recalls the need for immediate surgery and then test after test after test.

Weeks passed and then what Beth describes as an “insane sick feeling,” when the doctor read the results: brain cancer, specifically a glioblastoma, prognosis on survival with treatment…about 15 months. The good news, the specialists said the tumor was small, about the size of a jelly bean and when they removed it they got it “all”. Except when it comes to the “C” word, getting it all doesn’t mean it’s all over. A tumor in the brain is like a pile of sand, you can remove it but there may be a grain or two that shakes loose. Despite Daron’s incredible positive attitude, healthy living, better diet, increased exercise and the like… the smallest of possibilities, that tiny shadow of a doubt, that grain of sand, re-surfaced. The tumor returned.

The week of Thanksgiving 2011, Daron was back in surgery, but this time the tumor was too close to a blood vessel in the brain and the doctors couldn’t get it “all”. Time was no longer on Daron’s side. Throughout the ordeal Beth and Daron chose to keep the diagnosis a secret from their young children, Emory and Alana. They didn’t want to burden their kids with worry, fear, sadness and the realization that their father and the life they had come to know would never be the same. So for the Fisher kids life went on pretty much uninterrupted. Daron still coached Emory’s baseball games, went to Alana’s gymnastic practices and the family did what families do best when love is at its core… spend time together, enjoying this journey we call life, made all the more fulfilling when you share it with the people who share your heart.

Fisher family

In the meantime, Daron went on secret doctor appointments, endured chemotherapy and radiation. He sought out aggressive treatment through the National Cancer Institute, and Beth and Daron were aided and supported by a great friend and advocate, Ellen Hakim. But despite everyone’s best efforts and a number of alternative therapies, by October of 2012 things were getting worse, not better. To try a device called Novacure, electromagnetic headgear designed at “zapping” the brain cancer, Daron would have to shave his head…now the kids needed to know.

Beth remembers she had never used the “C” word, but now there was no choice. Beth says telling their children was not, as she remembers the “most awful thing ever”. “I imposed expectations that didn’t surface”, says Beth. And her children, now ages 8 and 11, took the news in stride, proving their resilience, yet at the same time shielded by a lack of life experience to truly comprehend the outcome, one which, unless there was a miracle, would one day leave them without their “Daddy”.

As time ticked away, the cancer continued to take its toll and the calendar turned to 2013. In January, the illness was robbing Daron of his strength and he was forced to go on disability. Even worse, he could no longer do one of the things he adored… play guitar. It was devastating to Daron, but his will would not be defeated. Daron started telling Beth stories, including one from years ago in which his uncle, a media promoter, had secured a media kit from the movie Rocky II and had given it to Daron and his brother. The poster, signed by Sylvester Stallone himself, read “Keep Punching”. An idea was born.

Rocky II

Daron and Beth wanted to find a way to give back. There was a special researcher, Dr. Fabio Iwamoto, whom they met at the National Cancer Institute. Dr. Iwamoto had gone above and beyond, following their progress, checking in with late night phone calls, showing caring and compassion. Beth and Daron thought how great would it be if they could find a way to raise money to fund Dr. Iwamoto’s research at Columbia University in New York. A small idea became a big hit and Keep Punching, with a big hand from Beth’s good friend Jen Johnson, orchestrated a major fundraiser on March 23rd of 2013. More than 225 people attended the event at Frazier’s Restaurant and Bar in Hampden, Maryland… even Daron was able to make it, and so together a village of love and support raised $20,000. They say it takes a village to raise a child, it takes that same village when a family is in pain, providing love and support so desperately needed to see them through.

Keep Punching with doctor
Dr. Carroll, Dr. Iwamoto and the Keep Punching Team
Daron signing check
Daron Writing $20,000 Check for Columbia University

Keep Punching was a huge success (www.keeppunching.org). And there was another milestone to come. The Fisher family and the Hakim family traveled to Philadelphia in the early spring of 2013. If you’re going to keep punching, it means you must be fighting…. and because of Daron’s hard work and intensive therapy, he was able to accomplish a dream. Daron climbed the “Rocky” steps, and for a moment make-believe became reality. For a moment, the “C” word changed from cancer to congratulations. For a moment, Daron got the chance to taste victory, a delicacy not so prevalent in the 2-1/2 years since his life had changed forever. And Daron was already beating the odds. The doctors said 15 months, by this time, Daron had doubled down.

keep punching logo

Beth met Daron back in 1996, both of them worked at TBC advertising agency in Baltimore. They were wed in 1999, and danced their first dance to More Today than Yesterday… “I love you more today than yesterday, but not as much as tomorrow”…lyrics that launched Beth and Daron’s lives together and still ring true today. As the years moved forward, Daron and Beth brought two children into the world, and created layer upon layer of memories. But on August 9th, 2013, their lives together became just that… as Daron passed away, with his family by his side, succumbing to the brain cancer which three years earlier surfaced on the train tracks heading home.

When someone you love becomes a memory, that memory becomes a treasure. Inside all of us are hidden treasures. The great challenge in life is not to die with that treasure hidden inside you. Daron Fisher brought his to the surface for all the world to see, as a loving husband and a devoted father. He displayed great wit, especially in his work as a talented copywriter. Just last month Daron was honored posthumously with a Lifetime Achievement Award by the American Advertising Foundation. But his greatest rewards were his family and friends. Beth says, “everyone who knew Daron and knew his wit and his kindness…everybody loved him, no one could say a bad word about him. He was caring and loving. I want Daron to be remembered for who he was and not for who he became.” It was the cancer that robbed Daron of his freedom of movement, and his ability to think with clarity, but not his spirit. His brain was ravaged by the beast, but his heart still full with the more than forty years of the love he gave and received.

A fighter to the end Daron Fisher went the distance. He gave it all he had. Daron kept punching and fought more rounds than any scorecard could ever record, and in the end he went down for the count. But there’s a huge difference between losing a fight in the ring and the one outside the ropes. For Beth, for Emory, for Alana, for all the family and friends who Daron touched and who gave that love right back…that village knows another champion.

One of The Greatest, Daron Fisher.

Daron and the kids

Until next time thanks for taking the time,
Mark Brodinsky

(Keep Punching remains a vibrant nonprofit, which supports patients, health-care providers and researchers in their fight to prevent and eradicate brain cancer. Please go to www.keeppunching.org and visit the Facebook page, https://www.facebook.com/Keeppunchinginc, to learn more about the organization, attend one of the upcoming events, or to make a donation.)

If you have a story you wish to share for the Sunday Series, send an e-mail to markbrodinsky@gmail.com

Mark Brodinsky, Author
It Takes 2.
#1 Amazon Best Seller
markbrodinsky@gmail.com

{total}Tweet
{total}+1
{total}Like
{total}Share
{total}Pin

Short & Sweet: It’s Just About… Life.

November 16, 2013 By markbrodinsky 3 Comments

fingers
I awoke this morning and stopped to think of just the thing to say.
It’s not that hard in the early light, before you start your day.
For if you find a couple words and set your path out right,
then your map is ready, your compass set and you won’t have to fight.
For every day’s a challenge, every day there’s something new.
But you can focus, you can care, help yourself to not feel blue.
Find some simple words that inspire you, that attract you like the sun.
It’s easy if you think it through, I know you’ll find the ones.
For me it’s simple, it’s in my heart and sent from up above.
What are those word you ask? I think you know…
It’s Life and Hope and Love.

Until next time, thanks for taking the time.

Mark
(Tomorrow, The Sunday Series)

Mark Brodinsky, Author
It Takes 2. Surviving Breast Cancer: A Spouse’s Story
#1 Amazon Best Seller
www.spouses-story.com
markbrodinsky@gmail.com

{total}Tweet
{total}+1
{total}Like
{total}Share
{total}Pin
  • « Previous Page
  • 1
  • …
  • 20
  • 21
  • 22
  • 23
  • 24
  • Next Page »

Search over 500 posts, including The Sunday Series

Get all My Latest News & Offers
Introduce yourself with your name and email below

#1 Best Seller on Amazon

Click to order your copy today!

The Book Trailer

Mark Brodinsky
Emmy Award Winner, 1996

Ever thought about writing a book? check this out!

Blog Reviews

Love seeing new blogs hit the ground running like this one (by a dad no less), but I also urge anyone vaguely interested in blogging to stay tuned, I am. Good luck on your journey – glad that I am along for the ride.

Rachel Blaufeld

Great blog Mark! I always appreciate reading what you have to say. You are very gifted and talented and hopefully someday you’ll not just blog, but write a book.

 Stephen Koncurat

I’m definitely along for the ride. We’ve all seen how much damage the written word can inflict. More positive writers are needed. And I love how you are using your personal experiences – those with your wife and children – and your gift of writing to open eyes and to inspire others.

Victoria Endicott

Absolutely beautifully written! The girls in your life must be very proud of you. Thanks for sharing Mark, I look forward to reading more!

Gina Glick Jolson

Very shortly this site will be famous amid all blogging and site-building users, due to it’s pleasant posts.

Leila Galloway

Absolutely beautiful! Are you at all thinking of penning a book? You’ve got a fan base out there that really thinks you should Mark. You write so eloquently. Glad that I got onto this site.

Marilyn Lefkowitz

Mark, You are truly a gifted writer and obviously, a special father and husband . Always a delight to read your words.

I’m speechless…beautiful words flow from your heart just like a gentle waterfall into a tranquil stream… thank you so much for the friend request I was blessed the day I clicked confirm.

Lynne Turner Dorsey

From your first writing in 4th grade entitled “People” which was published in the school newspaper, you have always been able to write. Never more so than when you started “Caringbridge” and now your blog, everyone who reads says what a wonderful writer you are. Our DREAM for you is to become an author and encourage people every day. You are by the far the best and we hope and pray you reach your dream.

Bonnie Brodinsky

I know you always thank us for reading but I would like to say thanks for writing.

Stuart Abell

Great piece. You are an inspiration!

Rob Commodari

Mark I just wanted to let you know that you are succeeding in your “ultimate goal”. I have gained so much from your blogs. I look forward to reading them for the special lift that they give me. Thank you.

Amy F.

I love waking up and starting my day with my coffee and your blog! It a great way to start my day with positive uplifting thoughts!! It puts me in a positive frame of mind throughout the day and allows me to reflect on my personal life, make changes, and grow !!!

Gayle Blank

You are quite talented Mark. Thanks for sharing!

Cynthia

I always look forward to your Blog Mark. Thanks for sharing and as you always do, make it a great / remarkable Day!

Chuck Connolly

Thanks for your Blog Mark. It is fun, encouraging and a nice break from a day full of ups and downs.

Jackie Hetrick

With my busy schedule, there is (sadly) little time for reading. But I have two must-reads every time I come across them, the sports section and your blogs. Keep inspiring and following your dream!

Ed Nemec

Mark, you are a truly remarkable individual. You do speak from your heart, I can’t wait to read your book. You are an incredible writer.

Debbie Press

Mark, I am glad I clicked on your post this morning, which lead me to your writing, your goal.
Would like to connect. This speaks to me.

Aileen Braverman

I can’t wait to read the book. I have followed all the blogs and feel so good that I know u guys. You make me cry but you make me laugh too. All the very best to you!

Beverlee Rendelman

Connect with Mark!

  • Facebook
  • LinkedIn
  • Twitter

WOW!!! It Takes 2 is a must read for anyone who has known someone diagnosed with cancer or other life threatening disease. This is the real story of a family lead by an incredible woman, Debbie Brodinsky, who took radical steps to beat the breast cancer beast. The story is told by her husband, Mark Brodinsky, through journal entries he kept starting with diagnosis through one year cancer free. This author's unique ability to pour his heart out onto the page draws you in from the beginning and holds you until the very end.

Thanks to Mark and Debbie Brodinsky for this gift...I have a new perspective on what it means to be a breast cancer survivor. You are a hero, Debbie Brodinsky!

TeeBThree
September 25, 2013

ittakes2_reviews_2

This book gives a heartfelt, in depth description of what it is like to go through breast cancer with the one you love. It is beautifully written and I felt as though I was living it with them! I highly recommend this book!

Jgs17
September 24, 2013

ittakes2_reviews_2

In It Takes 2, Mark Brodinsky windows us into his world where his wife, the cancer patient, is not the only victim. Part journal, part roadmap, It Takes 2 goes to the real humanity of facing the mortality of one's better half. Mark's candid perspective, love, and fierce intention resonate with hope in a story which is about much more than cancer. Mark himself is perhaps the most heroic character for the way he appreciates this life and so many of us in it...as he says, "thanks for caring."

Réné Pallace
September 24, 2013

ittakes2_reviews_2

It Takes Two: A Spouse's Story by Mark Brodinsky should be read by every person who is experiencing serious illness or injury or by a loved one of someone who is experiencing either of those situations. The book is an eloquent testament to the power of love and the healing energy derived from the belief that things will get better. There is not one word of "poor me" from the author or his wife who suffered breast cancer and the radical surgery she elected to have to beat the cancer. Rather, the book is a celebration of the courage displayed by them both in seeing it through.

The book also encourages readers to speak and write down their true feelings and be validated in them. John Mackovic writing in the Palm Springs, CA Desert Sun on November 2, 2013 quoted author and artist Doe Zantamata who said, " To be happy, you don't have to do anything new. You just have to remember how to believe again...Believe everything good is possible. Believe in your dreams. Believe in people. Believe in love. But most of all...believe in yourself." The author, his wife, their family and extended family and friends never stopped believing in his wife's recovery, and I think, in themselves. Read this book and believe.

Paul A. Riecks
November 4, 2013

ittakes2_reviews_2

This book is a must read for anyone with a family member with breast cancer. It takes you through the spouse's perspective from diagnosis to recovery. Mark journaled his wife's journey and put all of his emotions out there. It is beautifully written and inspiring to anyone going through breast cancer. Thank you, Mark for sharing Debbie's story.

Jmu1109
October 23, 2013

ittakes2_reviews_2

A friend recommended this book. This was a great perspective of a man standing beside his partner and passing along to the reader fear, hope, useful information and a broader story than his own. I loved Vinnie the tattoo artist. This is a great book. Thanks for sharing, Mark and "thanks for caring"

Blahsan

ittakes2_reviews_2

This book is a must read. What sets this book apart from other books about surviving breast cancer is that it is told by the husband and his point of view, not from the survivor. At times sad, at times poignant but even through the worst of it you can always feel the love he has for his wife, her strength and the strength of their extended family and friends. The posts that are included from their friends and family lets you really into the heart and strength of the family. I would recommend this book to anyone who is currently going through this, whether you are the person or the caregiver. I also recommend this book to anyone who has a friend that has been or is currently going through their fight now. It was an eye opener for me.

L. Bogash
Seven Valleys, PA

ittakes2_reviews_2

There isn't a shortage of books about breast cancer, but most are written from the perspective of the person who has battled cancer or a physician or other expert. What an enlightening experience to read about breast cancer from a husband and caregiver's perspective! Not only does the author give us insight into his wife's experience and emotions, but he openly shares and reveals his love, compassion, support, and, yes, sometimes anger at the disease as he stands by his wife's side during their journey to beat the beast. Your story may not be the same, but I guarantee if you have a loved one battling cancer, you won't go wrong reading It Takes 2.

 PattiM
September 25, 2013

 

ittakes2_reviews_2

From the moment I opened this book I never stopped reading. Mark invites the reader to come along on this journey that his family went through. I cried, laughed and learned so much. This book will give comfort and knowledge to those going through similar situations. Most importantly, Mark and his family never give up. They get knocked down and get right back up. They fought cancer together and with their strength, determination and will to prevail... They do!

 Jenny Schloss 

Recent Comments

  • Patricia Storey on The Sunday Series (152), with Mark Brodinsky
  • markbrodinsky on The Sunday Series (152), with Mark Brodinsky
  • markbrodinsky on The Sunday Series (152), with Mark Brodinsky
  • Abby Scherr on The Sunday Series (152), with Mark Brodinsky
  • Sheila Hyman on The Sunday Series (152), with Mark Brodinsky

The Sunday Series (28), with Mark Brodinsky

To inspire, have courage, keep hope alive. All of these are traits of winners, those who are leading the way, showing us all how it’s done, overcoming obstacles and helping in any way they can to be change makers. These are their stories, in my words… The Sunday Series. The Sunday Series (28): Wheels of […]

So Are You: It’s Just About… Life

If you can’t grow, it might be time to go… go find the people who do. Are the associations you have in your life moving you forward or pulling you back? Are the people in your “posse” positive, or constantly complaining. You are by every measure the product of the four or five people with […]

Categories

  • Life
  • Sunday Series
  • Uncategorized

Pages

  • About Mark Brodinsky
  • Contact
  • Resources
  • Storytelling
  • The Higher Shelf!

Connect With Mark!

  • Facebook
  • LinkedIn
  • Twitter

Categories

© 2021 Life and The Sunday Series. All Rights Reserved.

Built Masterfully on WordPress and Maintained by the Blogging Experts