"Blow out the candles on the count of three and make a wish! One! Two! Three!"
Three candles go out nearly simulateneously as Dede, Gilbert, and Rebecca all blow out their birthday candles at their surprise party in San Francisco. Dede and Gilbert are both married to nurses who work on Ted's floor of the hopital, and all the spouses decided to hold a surprise party for the three January birthdays. Gilbert turned 29, Rebecca turned 24, and Dede would never say, but she probably turned 25 or 26. An informal dinner of meatballs, chicken marsala, spaghetti, salad, and fried calamari turned into an evening of music and dancing as more and more guests arrived. By nine in the evening, fifteen people were squeezed into a two bedroom apartment, but fresh air was readily available on the large patio overlooking Fillmore Street. Seeing my name on a birthday cake while surrounded with new friends was the last thing I expected for my birthday when we started traveling! It seems that the surprises and adventures are never ending, and I never know what to expect around the next corner anymore, which I love! The thoughtfulness, kindness, and generosity of the people we have met here has helped to restore my faith in others, and I can only expect that we will encounter similar friendliness and kindness in Seattle.
I happened upon a television show tonight that also reminded me of the kindness and compassion of which all of us are capable: Extreme Makeover - Home Edition. (http://abc.go.com/primetime/xtremehome/) In the particular episode I watched, the Kirkwood family had been forced from their home due to toxic mold that had developed from an undetected leak in the basement. All seven members of the family were living in a single hotel room at the time of the taping. The eleven year old had continuously called the show asking that they help her family. Her persistence and hope in the show eventually won over the producers, and they decided to rebuild the Kirkwood home. While the family was away, the design team and 3,800 volunteer members of the community tore down the mold infested house and built the family a new house in seven days! Rain, mudslides, and mold slowed the progress of the team, but the spirit of the workers was truly inspiring! Everyone building the home was there because they believed in helping a family in need. Needless to say, the house was incredibly beautiful, and the family was deeply touched by the show of support from their community. The show ended with an impromptu group rendintion of "This Little Light of Mine." I was moved to tears by the girl's hope, and the community's desire to help make her hope a reality.
I also read a blog last night that detailed one woman's fight with a rare type of cancer. Her story was at turns inspiring, sad, and frustrating. The most depressing aspect of the site was the fact that she lost her job, and thereby her insurance, due to her progressing cancer. Not only did she have to battle cancer, but she also had to face mounting medical expenses and other bills. As a result of the blog site, however, she was able to generate enough support, both financial and spiritual, to keep the creditors at bay until she died last April. Though the story brought about a host of reactions in me, from anger at the injustice of the American insurance system, to extreme empathy for her husband and children, the overwhelming feeling was one of hope. Other people sensed the injustice of the situation and went out of their way to help, which is probably why she named her blog "Karma Works."
When I was watching The Constant Gardener the other night, I was struck by a scene in which the main character is driving his wife home from the hospital when they happen to pass another family walking home from the hospital. The wife asks the husband to give the other family a ride and he replies, "We can't give everyone a ride. We can't help everyone." She says, "No, but we have the power to help them." Though the husband drives on, I realized that the world would change more quickly if we all helped the people we have the power to help. We may not be able to help everyone or change government policies, but we can change our corner of the world by proving to others that they do not hope in vain - just as the community of Seattle showed the Kirkwood family that their daughter did not hope in vain, and the internet community showed one cancer sufferer that she she was not alone in the fight, and on a smaller scale, the nurses at Ted's hospital showed me that generosity of spirit does exist. We can all give someone a reason for hope.
By: Rebecca
Photo By: Ted
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