Why June 12th Is Special…

I pay little attention to the calendar anymore, there’s little need to. All upcoming visits and phone calls are logged on to my iPad, and it keeps me notified of what needs to be prepared for the following day. Most days that consists of little more than asking Suzanna to wash the spare set of sheets so that the PSW can freshen the bed the next day.

There are days that I don’t wish to remember. Days that I used to count down to celebrate, but have no reason to anymore. Today was one of those days. I probably wouldn’t have registered the date in my brain had it not been that I needed to figure out that I have only a few days left for the insurance company to reimburse me for the monthly oxygen charge before my credit card balance is due.

06/12 had been a very special day for me for many years, and for that reason used those numbers as my cell phone voicemail password, for the combo lock that stored the spare house key, my debit card password (don’t worry, they’ve all been changed. I wouldn’t be announcing them to the world at large!)

Instead June 12th will be remembered for the following reasons:

Today I saw for myself that a friend was on the mend from a recent, and very serious health crisis.

Today we welcomed a new volunteer to the team, and both Suz and I very much enjoyed her warmth and positive spirit. Angels everywhere I tell you.

Today I received an enquiry from my work website for a quotation and information on my wedding photography services. For a very short instant a punch to the gut, but when I learned that the referral came from a guest that had been photographed at an event I shot five years ago my heart filled with joy.  When I looked up the young woman who had done the referring on the internet, I immediately recognized her beautiful face although I had never come to know her name. What an honour to be remembered in the way that she had remembered both me and my photographs.

An added joy was hearing that the venue for next year’s wedding was a spot that my friends and I while in high school had a few times snuck into for midnight tobogganing on the snowy and pristine hills. I wasn’t always such a goody two shoes!

Needless to say I had to decline the opportunity to provide a quotation, but it was a thrill to have been asked.

Today was a day when a dear friend came to visit; she sat on my bed and so lovingly listened as I lamented about the further decline of my health.

Today was a day when my daughter surprised me by coming home early because she wanted to be here instead of elsewhere.

Although each day holds its own challenges, each also holds its own joys. Today was special for many reasons, just as I’ll find tomorrow special for different ones.