Bracelets

He asked me why I was wearing the bracelets. I told him about Dave, my father-in-law who was diagnosed with lymphoma and got the the good news on February 4th that he is in remission . I told him about Stellan and how he is also a miracle. He shared with me that he wears a light blue one for his father, who is fighting his own battle against prostate cancer.

I never got his name. I wish I would have. I wish I'd have gotten his name, and the name of his father and that I'd figured out a way to follow up with him and find out how things go for them.

He was kinda young, wearing a smile, a baseball hat and glasses and a button on his jacket that said "Cancer Sucks". I admired it and told him of our own plans to maybe wear t-shirts with similar sentiments at our gathering to celebrate Dave's remission. We laughed together in that way that people who are affected by disease and illness can laugh. Anyone overhearing us talk about cancer might not find laughter to be appropriate but we just...know how it is.

I reached out and shook his hand. I told him that I would keep him and his dad in my thoughts. He told me the same. As I went one direction and he went another, he turned and said "Hey, Happy Easter!"

We see them everywhere, these bracelets...multicolored and all meaning different things to different people. There is so much disease and affliction in the world sometimes I wonder that we aren't completely covered by little rubber bracelets. I really got to thinking about how each and every one of them represents a person who is facing...something.

I still wear my bracelets, even though Stellan's little heart has been mended and Dave has hopefully seen the last of chemo treatments. I wear them because I like to be reminded that sometimes, just sometimes...people fight the good fight and win.

I'm so very glad I ran into the man today that had a light blue bracelet and a button on his jacket that said "Cancer Sucks". He helped me to remember to be so very thankful.

...and I am.