I was crossing through an intersection in holiday rush hour traffic, in the rain of course (this is Seattle), when the truck to my right swooped in front of me, cutting me off, and then stopping short with his butt hanging in the crosswalk – leaving me stranded and blocking the cross traffic. Yeah, I was that driver.
Luckily, the jerk didn’t cause me to get a ticket for blocking the intersection, so it wasn’t worth giving the incident much more thought. But then something else happened…
A street kid, in a soaked jacket and no hat, was visibly concerned by the event. He flipped off the other driver on my behalf, and then set about the gargantuan task of trying to stop the hordes of pedestrians long enough to let me pull forward, and out of the intersection. All this done with a smile.
As I passed, he bowed deeply, tipping an imaginary hat. I smiled and waved, and wished there was something more I could do, but I was swept back up in the flow of traffic, and he was merrily on his way.
I offered up a wish on his behalf. First I thought of a warm dry coat. But he needed a hat, too. And gloves. When was his last hot meal? Did he have a safe place to rest his head? Were his needs being met?
We’ve had a tough time this year, but we’ve never gone hungry, I’ve been able to get medical care, and we’ve always had a roof over our head. I am so grateful.
My wish for you this holiday season, and on through 2011, is that your needs are met – health, safety, shelter, acceptance, a job…
And to the kid that helped me through that intersection, I hope you get your needs met, too – especially a warm, dry jacket.
From my family to yours, Merry Christmas, happy holidays, and a happy and healthy New Year.
If I just listed off all the things for which I’m thankful this year, the list would go on for several pages, and I wouldn’t be able to complete it in one day. As I do have plans to spend some time with my family, I’ll try to keep this short and just point out a few of the biggies:
My amazing husband who takes such good care of me, especially on the chemo days when I’m feeling so crappy
My creative, beautiful, and intelligent daughter who brightens every day and showers me with kisses and hugs
The wonderful people who came over and helped out when I had my surgery and during chemo – Mom, Dee, Sharon and Perry, Kristen, Mary Jane, Diane, Carrie, Candace, and Sommer, to name a few
Completing chemo – yes, that’s right, I’m done with chemo!
My cancer was found before it metastasized
The amazing doctors and nurses at the University of Washington Medical Center and Seattle Cancer Care Alliance. Over the years I’ve received medical care in a lot of different systems, and this is by far the best care I have received in my life.
Medicaid. I qualified for medicaid which is making it possible for me to receive this wonderful medical care. Medicaid is saving my life right now, and 18 months ago it saved my daughter’s life. I don’t know how we will pay rent next week, or the power bill, but we have food in the freezer, and I can fight my cancer. I’m not proud of the fact that we need this assistance, and I know its a source of embarrassment to my family members who fight so hard to eradicate publicly funded medical care, but I am extremely thankful that this assistance exists and makes it possible for me to battle cancer. Thanks to the health insurance reform bill, my cancer will not prevent me from getting health insurance once we get jobs, so one day I will be able to get off Medicaid, hopefully someday soon.
Here’s wishing you all a safe, healthy, and happy Thanksgiving.
I’ve done a lousy job of promoting this, but next Sunday my team of walkers will join thousand of others in the Susan G. Komen Race for the Cure in Seattle. Our team is called Pretty in Pink – Judy Haley and if you are in the Seattle area and care to join us, there is still time to sign up. There is also plenty of time to donate, if that’s more your speed.
I also want to send out a giant thank you to all the amazing people who have already donated and/or joined our team for the walk. I have the most awesome friends.
I’m looking forward to the walk. It’s a great chance to see the city from a different vantage point. Usually when I’m on the viaduct, I’m cruising so fast I really can’t stop and take in the view. The last time we did this walk, I got some great photos. This time, the walk has taken on a whole new meaning for me. I checked the weather report and so far it looks like it will be the one dry day of the week. At least I hope it is, but then what do those weather guys know? I’ll be bringing ponchos and umbrellas just in case.
CoffeeJitters is an affiliate to a number of sites and services. I do not endorse products I don't love. I may receive compensation if you purchase items from links on this website.
