I have a wonderful role model who always challenges me with looking for the Divine everywhere, lest I miss the experience.
After attending the Greater Chicago Quilt Exposition last week, and taking two classes from Gloria Loughman, an accomplished quilter from Australia, my gratitude cup overflowed. Gloria exhibited three of the most important qualities of happiness : meaning, purpose, and in this setting ENGAGEMENT. Through two days of teaching she was thoroughly in the “flow” engaged with us in a way that was admirable. She guided, laughed, and was bemused by the foibles of me and the other earnest class “sweathogs” and in turn her flow merged with ours.
So, after a long flight home and a day of recoup, I went in search for a certain product she recommended. It really WAS “a cold, dark, stormy night” as I hurried into the local chain fabric store, as all the quilt shops were closed by then.
I had my gratitude blinders on. I was there on a mission and a rather irritating voice kept asking me ” do you need help, ma’am?” I wouldn’t even LOOK UP from the stack of stabilizers, instead I would say , nicely, “nope, doin’ fine.”
I then found a bonus…an iron I had been coveting was 40% OFF, I did the happy dance right there…and whooped, as I am prone to do. I found the right stablizer AND the iron. I happy danced all the way to the register. Yippee…look what I discovered?
The young woman said, “wait, something better yet…here’s a 10 % coupon off of EVERYTHING” ( The voice was familiar..I had been dismissive, yet she continued to be helpful)
My happy dance over my good fortune, prompted a discussion about school, kids, and life. She had formerly been an ICU nurse, but currently is going back to school to become a geologist. She relayed that her mom had been a nurse and at 40 went back to med school when a physician had tried to discourage her because she was “too old.” Grinning impishly, she asserted, “yup, my grandma was the same way, both my mom and grandma taught me to be spunky.”
The items had been paid for, packed up, but I continued to be enchanted by this special young woman. I had removed the gratitude blinders and was looking deeply at her. As I was backing out the store, she smiled gleefully and said, “Hey, it will be ONE YEAR in two days since breast cancer.”
“Your mom is recovering from breast cancer?”
“Nope, me.”
I was stunned I had clearly underestimated her age. I was equally stunned when she explained how she had to tell her two adopted young children about the cancer. I wondered about the merits of sitting two toddlers down to deliver such news. She then said, my daughter was 13 at the time and said, “Mom, you promised when you adopted us, you would never leave. You can’t die.” She stopped at that point and said, “My mom was given a diagnosis of 6 months when she had leukemia, she’s still alive and well today…and a dr. So, I guess it just must be good genes and our attitude, ya think?”
This young woman was overflowing with gratitude at the blessings her life had brought her, yes, even the breast cancer. She viewed the cancer at another “shot” at a life she wanted…a life which included…rocks.
So, I challenged myself that tomorrow, I too will count her as a extra special blessing in my life. I will be filled with gratitude that my “important” work of finding the right fabric stabalizer didn’t keep me from being deeply impacted by this brave, happy, and delightful young woman.
I am sure there are more out there, take the blinders off…see if you find them
In the meantime,
blog on….
Beth
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