October 2, 2005 - Think about this...

Hello Everyone! We have been trying to rest today and get some "last minute" errands run. YEAH - tomorrow we head home to NC! As I was heading down one of the main roads here that I traveled on quite often, I thought about something that I wanted to share. It seems that each time I traveled this particular road, I was in a different state of mind. Sometimes elated, sometimes in tears, sometimes happy, sometimes scared,sometimes lonely - the variations are numerous. Every day no matter where I was, my moods could be anywhere and could easily be impacted by my interactions and those around me. What I also realized is that there have been many opportunities for people to be kind or mean to me while I was "emotionally fragile" so to speak. I have been fortunate in that I have had many small blessings. Here are a few that come to mind: - The smile from the McDonald's staff member The familiar faces that greeted me when I entered the hospital each day - The person who waited for me or held the elevator - The smile from the person in the car next to me - The person who let me change lanes at the last minute (this person seemed to be in a hurry but happily let me over anyway) - The person who asked how I was - out of the blue - The card I received in the mail letting me know I was not forgotten - The person who made my children smile and laugh when I was not able to do this - The voice mail message on the room phone that I received after a difficult day at the hospital - The smile from a child who appeared weary from medical treatment - The unrequested ice cold drink from a nurse Kind words and a little time from someone famous after a trying day - The person who held the door for me - The person who motioned to the parking space they were about to vacate for me. None of these things were time consuming or costly. All of thee people could have looked the other way or went about their business but instead, chose to see me. All of these people put me - unknown to them - a stranger going through a tough time - before their needs for such a brief moment. I call these people "God's angels" because I know He sent them to me to provide just what I needed at the time I needed it. It is amazing how these little things really picked me up and made things better. Many times we wonder what our purpose is for the day. I realize after my time here that sometimes it is something big and sometimes it is something small that we may not even notice. I have learned a valuable lesson which is that we each should be sure we make every interaction with every person positive. You never know when something small you do can really make you the "angel" for someone else. Take care and we will email more from NC . . . Wendy and Erik