Some of these moments help to carve us into the people we are today. I was listening to a podcast the other
day while trying to get my last 30-minute outdoor walk in. On the podcast was a very well-known motivational speaker talking about a moment when he was a young boy that pathed the way to many of the organizations and foundations, he’s built to help others.
This made me think about my childhood and a memory that is still so vivid to me today. When I was about 8 or 9 years old, we were still living in upstate New York. It was Christmas time and I remember being sad. Both my parents had been admitted into the hospital for what seemed like forever at that time. My father’s mother and stepfather were the ones mainly taking care of me that I can remember while they were in the hospital. My father had many health problems but at the time he was dealing with Liver failure and waiting for a transplant. My mother had been battling cancer around that time. Bad luck being that they both had some sort of health complication around the same time.
I don’t remember much of the before and after, but I do remember the day they were both discharged from the hospital. It was Christmas Eve, and I was home impatiently waiting for them to get home. Now rewind back a few minutes so I can remind you they have been in the hospital for at least a few weeks. Other than a tree and a few Christmas decorations that had been put up around the house prior to all of this, there was no Christmas preparation. If you know me then you know that Christmas is my favorite holiday to this day! So of course, as a young girl I was sad and maybe even disappointed with everything that was going on. I wanted my parents to be okay, I wanted them to come home, I missed them terribly and I did not want to spend Christmas in a cold, creepy (at that time) hospital.
You’re probably thinking, “she was being a brat about probably not getting gifts on Christmas morning”. WRONG….I was sad and upset because my Christmas spirit was shattered. I felt lonely and afraid. All my siblings are much, much older than me so I was the only child around and my relationship with my “grandparents” has never been great. So, telling you there was no comfort is an understatement!
Anyways, back to Christmas Eve in my little girl brain. Not only did my parents get to come home that day but shortly after that we received a visit that really changed my life. All types of first responders showed up at our home along with hospital personnel in their best festive attire. We are talking police officers, firefighters, paramedics, nurses, baring all types of gifts for us and food. To this day I have no idea how all those people knew what was going on in our lives or how that massive act of kindness was organized. Truthfully, I never even asked because the way all these strangers showed up with so much love and understanding were enough for me. I carry that Christmas with me till this day. It is the reason I always look for the good in people and situations. It’s why I have such a desire to help others even when I don’t know how. It is what will forever keep me humble and grateful because the reality is that all we have is not owed to us. Whether we have or not, what matters is the love we have in our hearts and the kindness we show to those around us. If you are reading this, squeeze your babies tight and remind yourself that you are loved and spread kindness to others because you never know how it can change a life!
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