07/01/2026
I remember when I was first diagnosed with thyroid cancer… everything just kind of stopped.
At the time, I had three little ones under the age of 3 1/2. Life wasn’t just busy … it was full-on survival mode. Diapers, naps, snacks, sleepless nights… and in the middle of all of that, doctor appointments and treatment. There wasn’t a lot of space to process what was actually happening.
You just keep moving because you have to.
Looking back now, I often think about how different things might have been if I had known then what I know now. Ten years earlier… I probably would have started changing things a lot sooner.
But life doesn’t really give you the clarity until you’re already walking through it. Let me just say that again … life doesn’t really give you the clarity until you’re already walking through it! 💯
Ten years after that thyroid cancer diagnosis came breast cancer. And now I’m 7 years out from that. Two diagnoses, two very different seasons of life, and a whole lot of lessons in between.
After my second diagnosis, something in me slowly started to shift. Not overnight, but in small, quiet ways. I found myself going back to basics … baking bread again, making soaps, lotions, and slowly learning about all the things tallow can offer … wanting to understand what I was putting in and on our bodies. It became less about “perfect” and more about “intentional.”
And I’ll be honest … rendering tallow is a lot harder than I thought it would be. This is love right here … more than sourdough bread, haha. It takes patience, time, and a little bit of letting go of control while it does its thing.
And now here I am … watching beef suet melt down in my crock pot, something I never imagined I’d be doing, but it somehow fits this whole journey. Slower living. Simpler choices. Paying attention in a different way than I ever used to.
I’ll be honest though … it’s not always easy. I wish I could say I’ve figured out healthy eating for the kids or that they’re always on board … but it doesn’t work like that in real life. Some days they are, some days they aren’t, and most days it’s just a mix of doing the best we can between sports, school, and busy schedules.
But I’m learning it doesn’t have to be perfect to still matter.
So as I sit here watching this tallow melt, I’m just grateful for the journey, even the hard parts. For the lessons I didn’t ask for. And for the small, simple changes that somehow add up over time.