A Reason To Celebrate
Numbly, I left my husband, Marty, at the hospital where I had been visiting two of my children and headed for the grocery store. Since it was eleven p.m., I drove to the only store I knew was open twenty-four hours a day. I turned my car motor off and rested my head against the seat. What a day, I thought to myself. With two of my young children in the hospital, and a third waiting at Grandma’s, I was truly spread thin. Today I had actually passed the infant CPR exam required before I could take eight-week-old Joel home from the hospital. Would I remember how to perform CPR in a moment of crisis? A cold chill ran down my spine as I debated my answer. Exhausted, I reached for my grocery list that resembled more of a scientific equation than the food for the week. For the past several days, ... Read Full Story >>
- Posted by Dodo
- Jul 7, 2012
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The Gift Of A Bathroom
They were a family of nine; the father, mother, two boys, and five girls. The father worked as kitchen cleaner at a local school and the rest of the family help supplement his income by cleaning people's yards. They were a very poor family. Then the father lost his job at the school! He asked that I take him on to clean our yard. Realizing his situation, I offered him the job. He and his family came to our house three times a week to clean the yard. Early one morning the father suffered a stroke and died in the hospital. The poor family had lost their main bread-winner. The oldest boy had just completed school and was getting ready to go to college. The others were just little kids. We stepped up and did all our best to help make sure the family got their education, and provided some daily needs, like clothes, ... Read Full Story >>
- Posted by rajaratnamjones
- Jul 12, 2012
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The Perfect Time For Dinner
I made a dinner for a single mom and her boys after learning yesterday that she is working extra hours when they are at their dad's house so she can spend more time with them when she has them. Because of that (and health problems) she is very sleep-deprived. She is also worried about one of her sons' health situation. I put a lot of love (the secret ingredient!) into the dishes. Then I called her and said I wanted to bring dinner over for her. She answered by saying, "Really? What's the occasion?" I said, "I just wanted to bring you dinner today." She told me that her son had just asked, "What's for dinner?" and she replied that there was nothing in the fridge so they might just have to settle for cereal! She was totally floored by the timing. She said that it never happens that their fridge is totally empty! Needless ... Read Full Story >>
- Posted by cabbage
- Oct 31, 2013
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Don't Take Anything For Granted
I was racing around making a six figure income when I suffered a bursted brain aneurysm. Over a five year period I lost everything that I had worked for - home, savings and career and having to do a bankruptcy.
I am humbled and also grateful for being able to live. During this time I went into kidney failure - and a dear childhood friend has offered me her kidney! Can you believe this gift??!
Life is so delicate and precious. Walk softly.
- Posted by pattipleonard
- Feb 25, 2015
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The Invisible Woman
When I had breast cancer I had to have a lumpectomy, chemo and radiation (the works). The hardest part of that entire experience was losing my hair. I have strawberry blonde wavy hair down to the middle of my back which I have always considered one of my most attractive features. What was hard about losing my hair, though, was that I lost my anonymity with it. After I lost my hair it was like having a tattoo across my forehead that said "chemo patient." I am a very active, athletic person so to have people looking at me with pity as if I was an invalid or a leper was very hard to take. Of course they never said anything, but if I got in an elevator everyone looked away because they didn't know what to say. I didn't blame them, God knows I've done the same thing myself, but ... Read Full Story >>
- Posted by hollynamaste
- Feb 27, 2015
- 14 Comments
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Jasmine, Bambi, Crystal, and Unspoken Joy
My Partner's beastly cancer had reared its head again during a savagely hot summer. For nine weeks, Monday through Friday, she endured radiation daily, along with four 3-day infusions of chemotherapy. By the end of summer, she was so exhausted yet so grateful for encouraging news from our care team & beautifully bald. She chose the perfect wig to match her radiant personality...Mindy. She named it Mindy. I asked if it would be okay to have a small, informal gathering of friends up to the house for dinner when she was ready. What I neglected to mention was that they were all going to be wearing wigs, many from their own journeys through fire. They streamed in: "Jasmine," "Bambi," "Crystal," "Chantal," ...on and on.. tears, hugs, laughter, love. We sat down to dinner and I toasted our company, and then I toasted my Partner. I've no recollection of those words, but I do ... Read Full Story >>
- Posted by Dragonflysoul
- Mar 6, 2015
- 6 Comments
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Beautiful Smiles
I was wandering through a fruit stand today and noticed two women walking in the store. One was leading the way, the other followed slowly with a walker. The second woman was probably in her fifties, too young for a walker, and she had the most beautiful smile.I passed them without giving it too much thought. They left the store before me, and when I left and was walking down the sidewalk, I saw them in their car. This lovely woman was sitting in the passenger's seat, smiling and laughing sweetly as she said, "I never thought it could be this hard to get in a car" -- and laughed and laughed. Amazing, I thought! And I wanted to connect with this lovely energy, so as I passed, I asked if she would like me toclo se the car door for her. She looked at me and gave me one of her beautiful ... Read Full Story >>
- Posted by mdunn1
- Mar 30, 2015
- 10 Comments
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Smile
I was actually having a not so great day today. I've been having some pain issues with my neck and shoulder. Just some weird thing that pops up now and then.(I hadn't mentioned the pain/discomfort to my husband.)
But today I was aggravated with my spouse. Feeling ignored etc. (I'm thinking it could be due to being off of work for two months now.) I was weepy and just not having a very good day.
My spouse went to the grocery store this afternoon. I went into the kitchen and put away the items from the store. Still weepy and defensive.
I walk into the living room and there, on the spot where I usually sit, was a neck pillow with heat and vibration for neck pain. This made me smile.
It's so funny how perception is reality. Sometimes its the wrong reality. This made me remember all of the times my spouse has been giving and thoughtful. I need to remind myself that there are times when my POV can be so lopsided that I cant get out of my own way. :)
- Posted by SavannahCaceres
- Mar 29, 2015
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Tribute To A Very Dear Friend...
In early January I wrote about the fact that I was taking a trip to Portland to visit a very dear friend who was dying of aggressive lymphoma. That visit was important to me as I was able to be with her in person and share some amazing time with her. We held hands and talked and talked, about what we meant to each other, what we cherished about each other, some of the lessons we had learned together and/or with the support of the other. Her partner and our friend who had driven me there from Portland went out for a walk together, giving us this gift of time together. We shared a simple lunch, all four of us, and talked about some of the logistics of care for my friend, the fabulous hospice nurse who came every day, my friend’s hope that her father would be able to come ... Read Full Story >>
- Posted by terre
- Apr 13, 2015
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A Starbucks Break For Mom
As my 15th of 21 kindness acts, I wanted to give support to one of my closest friends and let her know what a wonderful mom she is. Her daughter was recently diagnosed with Crohn's disease. It has been a challenging process working with doctors and getting her the right care that she needs. I gave her a card and told her she was doing a great job figuring things out for her little sweetie. It can be hard to be strong when your child is hurting. I also included a Starbucks gift card so she could take a break for herself. I mailed it so she had a surprise when she picked up her mail.
- Posted by TrishaP
- May 2, 2015
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A Ring More Precious Then Gold!
A few weeks ago, I purchased a ring for myself called the "tree of life" (because of the design on the ring) with the word HOPE inscribed on the inside. It is made from steel and was inexpensive but symbolized the journey of recovery from breast cancer for me. A friend at work has also been going through a courageous journey with cancer treatments for uterine cancer. I decided to share the ring with her, its meaning to me and I asked if she would like to have the same ring. We decided what size would fit and I ordered one for her as a gift. When I was able to give it to her, I told her she was strong and the steel represented her strength in beating her cancer. The tree of life and the inscription of hope inside the ring could further serve as a reminder of the positive outcome that she ... Read Full Story >>
- Posted by Rutha
- May 3, 2015
- 17 Comments
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Little Action, Big Effects
A friend, who started up and ran her own youth theater group, lost her husband to cancer 2 years ago. Almost immediately after he died, she found out that she had cancer too. She is still going strong and her treatment is working well for now. She always has a smile and kind words for everyone. One of the hobbies I have had over the years is to take photographs, particularly candid shots of people laughing and smiling. I have a great headshot of my friend and her husband, from about a year or 2 before he died. They both have the loveliest smiles in the photo. I ordered an enlargement of it andpopped it into a nice frame for her. I gave it to her last night at a meeting of the theater group. I was very nervous of how it might go but, although there were floods of tears from her ... Read Full Story >>
- Posted by MadAbbott
- Jun 10, 2015
- 8 Comments
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She found a transplant donor in Germany
A friend of mine was diagnosed with leukemia in her 60s. Her last hope was a marrow transplant. Luckily, they found one in Germany! This lady had signed up in the donor registry years before, but wasn't a match for the child and later the teenager in her region that needed a transplant. Years went by and out of the blue she got the news that she was a match for a woman in California (my friend). The transplant was performed, and my friend fully recovered. This year she went to Germany to thank the donor and found out that this lady had received the match request two days before her wedding! She said yes, and a few weeks later became a lifesaver while still a newlywed. Here they are together.
- Posted by lindariebel
- Nov 24, 2015
- 18 Comments
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Helping a Friend Heal Through the Holidays
A friend of mine is struggling with Lyme disease. I'm aware that because of it, my friend has a restrictive eating plan. To help heal her immune system, I came up with an idea for an advent calendar for her to enjoy - a new seasonal tea bag every day, plus a puzzle/doodle or idea/affirmation to do or share. And I enjoyed putting it together for her - it felt good to be doing something to support her recovery :)
- Posted by jmccorma
- Dec 14, 2015
- 11 Comments
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