Sunday, September 17, 2006

That’s What Friends Are For & Christmas in September


The brown envelop jingled as I took it inside to see what Molly and Frank had sent us. A note explained the contents. “Dear Bill & Sheila, I was put in charge of mailing you these Xmas stockings. Molly and I went to an estate sale and the peoples’ names happened to be Bill and Sheila so we couldn’t resist getting the stockings. Sorry they aren’t filled with gifts. Love, Frank & Molly”

These two long time friends live so far away, and yet they remain so dear to my heart. Can’t you see why?

When I was in treatment for breast cancer a couple of years ago, they drove several hundred miles to see us. Molly came bearing a huge white bunny and lots of funny stories about her life and children. Frank came with tools to do some neglected repairs around the house. “Give me a list,” he ordered. We caught up on our lives and for a brief time my life felt back on track. Molly loved to shop for antiques, and we just dropped her off one day for a couple of hours at an antique mall. They brought me hope and cheer. I knew I'd make it.

And Frank, those stockings are filled. With love, that is.

2 comments:

Anonymous said...

Aah! Those stockings are really cute. You're so lucky to have friends like that. It's a true saying that you only find out who your true friends are when you have a crisis or serious illness in your life. I hope you're ok and enjoying good health again now. I had major surgery myself about 5 years ago to remove a massive ovarian cyst but was very lucky, they didn't find any cancer.

Sheila said...

Thanks Naomi. So far, so good as the saying goes. My doc gave me the okay for 6 month checkups. I finished up a year of Herceptin in July. It's been 2 years and 7 months since my diagnosis. I don't have a lot of friends, but the ones I do have are real gems.

Glad your cyst was benign.