You're Allowed to Receive, Too

Hello, and welcome to this month’s newsletter. Thank you for being here. I want to share something personal with you.

At the end of October 2025, just a month after moving into my new home, I was looking forward to meeting my son in Bali and spending Christmas with him.

However, at an appointment, my lung consultant advised me that a nodule in my lung had grown and needed a biopsy.

The biopsy showed that it was a carcinoid tumour, a rare form of cancer in the lung. I was told it wasn’t aggressive but required urgent attention. I had surgery to remove it, along with a segment of my lung and some lymph nodes.

The diagnosis woke me up with a thud. Plans I’d been looking forward to were suddenly sitting alongside fear, appointments and uncertainty.

I told my family and friends what was happening, and they rallied around me. They offered help, made space for my fear and reminded me how loved I was. I felt that love deeply.

In August 2026, I went to Ireland for a healing experience. It was completely outside my comfort zone, but I went in a spirit of surrender and trust, willing to push through barriers without knowing exactly what I would find. There is more to that journey, and I’ll share it in future updates. For now, I want to tell you about one thing I began to recognise there.

I love to give. If I can help someone or do something thoughtful, I do it because I want to. There’s no agenda behind it, and I’m not keeping score.

Yet for much of my life, receiving hasn’t felt as simple. When someone offers me help or kindness, I can feel embarrassed or uncomfortable, as though accepting it means I’m taking. My mind starts asking whether I should decline, whether I owe them something, or how quickly I can give back.

Ireland helped me pause long enough to notice that feeling. Since then, I’ve been curious about it in the smaller moments, too. What if someone’s kindness is simply theirs to give? What if I can accept it without searching for an agenda, feeling guilty or making a promise to repay it?

The care I received after my diagnosis mattered. So did the love of the people who stood beside me. I’m grateful for them, and for the silver linings I’m beginning to see through a frightening chapter of my life.

I’ve spent years learning how to give with an open heart. Now I’m learning how to receive with one.

I’m still at the beginning. Sometimes it feels uncomfortable. But I’m trying to meet that feeling without judgement and let a little kindness in.

I wonder if this resonates with you. Is giving easier than receiving? The next time someone offers you help, care or a small kindness, what might happen if you let yourself accept it simply because they want to give?