PARKING LOT ANGELS
On the last day of my chemo treatment from breast cancer, my daughter Erica marked up my car windows saying “Last Day of Chemo” along with a big sign for me to take pictures with. Erica was going to be with me for the treatment, but before I picked her up, I stopped by the store to pick up a few things. After sitting in the parking lot for a few minutes, I started to back out, I see someone walking towards my car. He waves, I wave back, but I keep going. Although I don’t know who this person is, something tells me to turn around and go back. So I did. I pull up beside him, roll down my window and ask “were you coming to talk to me?”
He smiled and said, “Yes, I saw your sign and I just wanted to congratulate you on your last chemo treatment”. He proceeded to tell me that his Mom is going through the same thing and she’s doing really good with her treatments. I talked with him for a few minutes about my journey. He asked me my name and I tell him. He then asks me if I am a Believer. My reply back was, “Yes, you better believe I am”! He then asks if he could pray for me. So right there, in the parking lot, me in my car, and this person that I don’t know, we take each other’s hand and he begins to pray for me and healing.
It was so awesome, it put a smile in my heart and on my face. When he was done, I asked him his name, he said Eddie. We talked for a few minutes longer then said our good-byes. Even though I know I will never see Eddie again, I know God put him in my path that day. He’ll be forever in my heart.
At the beginning of this journey, when I posted on Facebook about my cancer, I knew all eyes were gonna be on me. I didn’t want to be that whiney person, I didn’t want to be that poor pitiful me person, I wanted to be that strong warrior, and I wanted to show people that God IS good. I wanted people to look at me and say “Because of YOU, I didn’t give up.”
I am now a personal survivor mentor to several people. One is a friend’s mother, whom I’ve known for over 25 years. Another person is someone I’ve known for several years. If this is that ONE person God had in His plan for me to help, then I’m there for her every step of her journey – to answer HER questions and to let HER release HER fears, also. I’ll be there for her and for anyone else God puts in my path. I’ll be strong for THEM when they feel they can’t.
Recently a friend shared the outcome of her first fears FOR me- she said, “When you first told me you had cancer, I was so worried for you and your family. But then I saw a hero emerging from within you. A woman that was strong and powerful and amazing and fought through every single day of the pain, worry and sickness that is cancer. I’ve never been more proud of a friend than I am of you. I don’t think I ever saw you without a smile on your face.”
THIS is what I wanted people to see in me. THIS is what I wanted people to look at me and think.
Haruki Murakami wrote in Exiting the Storm: “Once the storm is over, you won’t remember how you made it through, or how you managed to survive. You won’t even be sure, in fact, whether the storm is really over. But one thing is certain. When you come out of the storm, you won’t be the same person that walked in. That’s what the storm is all about.”