Among the obvious, one of the things I miss about no longer working for The Huntsville Times is not being able to take part in the annual pink edition.
For the previous three years, The Times was printed in pink, usually the first Sunday in October, to help create awareness of the battle against breast cancer.
If you look around town, you'll see pink decorations: Pink outdoor lights, displays of pink clothes in stores - even in sporting goods stores such as Sports Authority - and other businesses. You may even notice a pink hue around the area's high school football games over the next couple weeks as they take donations and wear pink socks, shirts and other apparel as they play for a cure.
And, the Huntsville landmark Saturn V tower at the Space & Rocket Center is bathed in pink light, visible to motorists along I-565.
At The Times, we would print stories of courageous battles fought by local women and men in all walks of life. There were front page stories, religion stories, business stories and sports stories. The writers and editors would come away with a new-found respect for those who were afflicted, and their families.
I don't know if there will be a pink edition this year but it's a shame if there isn't.
Personally, cancer has touched us this year.
In January, my mom died after battling skin cancer which eventually spread inside her body. Years of chemo finally took their toll.
A couple weeks ago, one of my high school classmates, Janet Watt Madias, died after a long fight with cancer.
Yesterday, a classmate of Mary's, Cathy Phillips died from lung cancer. Mary visited her at the hospital over the weekend and Cathy texted her yesterday - just a few hours before she died.
A top killer of men is prostate cancer and though it doesn't receive nearly the attention of breast cancer, it's no less serious.
On Father's Day weekend, major league and minor league players use blue bats and wear blue wristbands to bring attention and awareness about the fight against that disease; as they do on Mother's Day weekend in wearing pink and using pink bats.
There's also ovarian cancer, liver cancer and stomach cancer among the disease's various forms.
Cancer is a killer but it doesn't have to be.
Get regular exams because cancer doesn't care if it strikes a woman or man; girl or boy; young or old.
Cancer must be stopped.
There's been too much sadness.
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