Sunday, the beginning of the week, happened to be my brothers birthday. My brother, who passed away almost five years ago now (is it really that long ago!?), was a neat guy. On his birthday, we would have chatted about life, maybe analyzed the latest in the news, and then we would have laughed about something stupid he did. Typical. So, Sunday passed without that conversation for the 5th time in a row.
Once the week got underway at work, it was a bit of a blur. The end of the school year always is that way. On Wednesday morning, a colleague walked in to tell me a story. By the way, she is the greatest human I know. No one works harder than her and is more positive. Anyway, she told me about how when she was in her 20's with one daughter, she worked 2 jobs in order to help pay bills. They had bad insurance and her young daughter was in the hospital a lot in the beginning. She would have to eat just blueberries or not pay a certain bill to get by.
So... she waitressed. One night a guy was there who she was jabbering with and he left her $100...she told him she could not take it, no way. His response was just, "if you don't, you'll have $200 to take." So she took it, and she couldn't believe it because she really, really needed it. She said she knew that she would someday be able to pay it back.
She stood in my office Wednesday morning, telling me this, and then telling me how much she loves me. She said that she just knew, some how, that she wanted to pay it back to me so I could pay it forward... she said it was just like heaven telling her so. She wouldn't let me not take the $100.... even though I insisted she be the one to pay it forward somewhere.
And then... then I cried. I finally let it out. Not on his birthday, or any time after, but the moment I heard the story. These stories, and I've heard hundreds of them since Dylan died, are motivators. They are reasons to get up, reasons to smile and reasons to cry. When I hear them, I get to be that "proud sister" again... Heck, I get to be a SISTER again, and it feels so good.
Ending my week with gratitude. Lots and lots of it. People are good.
