The Sum of Consequence

As a child I was an avid reader. Undoubtedly the better part of my free time I'd be found with my nose in a book - lost in another world for hours at a time (my daughter comes by the same obsession honestly). My favourite Easter Hunt find ever was discovering a copy of "The Wizard of Oz" tucked on my bedroom window ledge behind the curtains. My parents understood that I'd get far more pleasure from a good read than from a basketful of chocolate (although they're very close and as an adult I'd say chocolate wins most days!)

My favourite Mother Goose nursery rhyme was "The House That Jack Built", as like most kids the repetition was comforting. This rhyme was been on my mind a lot lately (the line about the cow with the crumpled horn can still produce a vivid image to this day as to how that horn might have come to be crumpled). I don't claim to be any good at figuring out hidden meaning in literature - but this rhyme speaks to me about the layering of experiences (both in and out of one's control) to arrive at the place you may currently rest at.

Today I had a truly uplifting few hours with two people who without doubt (and we're going back thirty five years on this one!) had a hand in shaping how I think and act as an adult. And we shared this time today with two other wonderful souls who are also setting the bar for who I want to be when I grow up :-)

They say that having a serious illness can be a blessing in disguise (there's no way I'm ready to declare that as my truth!) but my diagnosis has brought me to a place where I want the people who brought something positive to my life to know that I appreciate the gifts they'd given me. I was very lucky to have been able to do that today. Thank you A and F for teaching me about family, faith, and so much more. But most of all about trust, a lesson I wouldn't fully comprehend until I had a child of my own. Thank you for entrusting me with all that was and is most precious to you.

And let's not wait another twenty eight or so years before we meet again!