On Friday morning we went downtown to see some boats and we ended up walking the sidewalk sale. Well downtown PH doesn't really have shops anymore so vendors were set up along the middle of the street. I'm not normally a vendor gal, but we walked a bit and I stopped at a jewelry vendor (duh). I was looking at the charms and mentioned that the Autism heart was pretty and that I had a severely autistic nephew, but I noticed they didn't have any teal ribbon charms. But they did and the vendor got one for me to see. Nice bracelets, nice jewelry that can tell your story with in numerous charms. I let her know I wasn't much of a jewelry gal and she understood and was so sweet. I filled out the form for a chance to win a free bracelet which was beautiful, but as I was filling it out I was saying that I wouldn't have a party….
So, coincidently Abbie, the vendor, has a child with Aspergers, on the genetic line of Autism. He has had cancer but is cured now. Her family is riddled with both breast and ovarian cancer. In fact when I asked about the teal ribbon, for ovarian cancer, I said that it was my cancer, and she said she had it 8 years ago. I looked at her long hair and healthy looking body and asked if she had been cancer free since than and she had been. She was 32 when diagnosed. 32! They did catch it early which is the biggest blessing that can happen with cancer. However, she is positive for the BRCA gene, which brings her risk of breast cancer WAY up. Up so high so can have a double mastectomy based soley on the gene presence. She is having it done.
She home schools her 5 children and her husband is in the service. They just decided to live summers in PH and the winters at their home in Arizona. Pretty cool. So we talked a bit, my husband called and I ended up walking away so I could hear and talk to him. After we hung up my mom walked up next to me and gave me a teal box. Inside the teal box was a pretty teal trinket holder and inside was a bracelet, with a teal rim and a heart shaped autism charm and a teal ribbon. Teary yet? Me too.
So of course I went back, to a vendor, who I will not have a party for because I don't wear jewelry….. I just hugged her and thanked her for blessing me. She said she cried the whole time she put it together. So we talked a bit more. Oh how her story breaks my heart. She has a daughter, 19. I have a daughter who is 19. She was just diagnosed with ovarian cancer. SHE'S 19! She was away with her boyfriend/fiancee at that moment figuring out what to do about children. Lord, have mercy. Abbie had to really push to make sure her daughter got the correct testing. Luckily again it is caught early. But the heartbreak. Her story is incomprehendable.
Coincidence: never have believed in it. Abbie is a Christian woman with a Christian family and found a church to go to in PH while they summer there. And it's my sister in laws church! God had a plan for that day, and it happened just as he planned. I hope I did what he wanted. I'm blessed that she did. God let me meet a survivor of a disease with few survivors. A carrier of the gene mutation I will be tested for again, and a 19 year old daughter already diagnosed. You know where mine is heading when she gets home from Germany….
Coincidence is just a word people who can't fathom a God that loves and gives grace and hope to those suffering use when they are given moment of peace and joy and understanding. God brings the incidents to us, when needed, when necessary. Not all incidents are good- that's that. But they aren't accidental in any way.
My journey keeps giving. It may keep giving me cancer, but it keeps giving me stories to tell, awesomely, unbelievably loving and faith filled people to touch my heart. Sometimes I get to be that person. It seems recently that more and more I have been the receiver. I want to be that hope but I've been so unsure of so very much lately- not just health- just normal life stuff.
I'm so blessed to have met Abbie, to pray for her daughter. I look forward to contacting her, about having a party! Origamiowl jewelry. God's so funny. Good thing I love to have a party!
Pray for Abbie's daughter, Lauren I think. And look for those coincidences and be sure to go to them. Don't run from them. They are for you and for the other person.
Coincidence, a meeting of people under certain conditions that people believe are random, but Believers know are orchestrated by the God of all Masterpieces.
I'm so glad to be so confused so often. Maybe that helps me to keep seeing the truth that coincidence is non existent.
Much love,
Vicki
