The Sweetest Thing From Abilene

It is almost midnight, Monday evening.  This morning I felt like I finally awoke from a three day post-chemo blur.   I woke up this morning and felt pretty normal.  The nausea that chemo left me was at a minimum.  I decided to get up, get out and drive.  I went to the salon to see how the expansion was going.  Tomorrow is the official day that the new side will be open, pending the final inspection.  Ken has worked night and day, day and night.  There is still a lot to be done, but he has made some huge strides.  It looks like it will all come together nicely.  I thought I would help out by going to pick up the mirrors for the stations.  I went and picked them up at a local Kirkland's store.  I had seen them there before and had talked to one of the sales girls about making sure that we could get ten of them all the same. It is always funny to see the reaction I get when telling someone that "it's for a hair salon".  People tend to check out your hair when they find out you own or work at a salon.  So I get a kick out of them looking at my bald head peeking out from under my hat.  So after dropping the mirrors off at the salon, I went back home to rest.  That pretty much took half the day and most of my energy.  I wanted to go back up and help Ken in the evening, so I knew I needed to get home and just lay down.  So I did.  I got under my covers and just laid back.  However, it wasn't long before my phone rang.


Landri, my seventeen year old called and asked if her friend Taylor could come over after school.  I said of course, and it wasn't long until they arrived.  Taylor is a new friend that Landri has made through playing softball this year.  She is a beauty just as all the girls are on her team.  I am not at all exaggerating.  They all look like super models!  Anyways, I heard them come in the back door. Landri came in my bedroom and said "Mom, something happened to me today... and you are really going to love it! ...Can we come in?"  I was laying on the bed feeling kind of woozy.  I told them both to come in and Landri began to tell me her story.  There was a certain gleam in her eye.  I could tell it was something special.


"So mom... when we went to Abilene during one of our last games, we stopped at this place.  I saw this thing that I wanted to get you, but I didn't have enough money.  So today at school, the whole the team got in a circle and they put me in the middle.  They gave me this...mom, as a surprise.  They all chipped in and bought it for me ....for you!  They had it sent from Abilene!"

 Taylor was at the foot of my bed and Landri stood beside me.  Landri's crystal blue eyes were full of tears, but she was smiling. She showed me her gift, the treasure she was so very proud to give me.  It was a painting on a small canvas.  At the bottom was the word "strength".  Above the writing was a hand-painted pink breast cancer awareness ribbon.  It was somewhat three dimensional as it stood out from the canvas a bit.  It looked sweet, like pink icing.  On the back of the painting, written on the wooden frame, were the words "Rebel Softball 5/10/10".  I couldn't do anything but cry.  I hugged Landri and then I hugged Taylor.  I held them both and cried while trying to utter my thanks.  I can barely even type these words now  or see my computer screen because I am still crying like a baby.  I am so thankful that Landri has such love and support from her friends.  I am telling you, these girls are special.  I have said it before in a previous post.  These girls, young women I should say, are the strength of our future.  I am so amazed by them.  Landri has received so much love and support from all the girls she plays sports with...not just her softball team. It is such a beautiful thing to see so much love shown from so many people, young people.  So there you have it.  It was the sweetest thing, from Abilene...given by the sweetest girls in the whole world.   Until next time....( I still can't stop crying :)