Reflections of... Love!

   "Grandma teaching her granddaughters a life lesson!"

          Reflections Of…love!

                                   by Alan P. Scaglione

My best friend Ellen used to say “The most important things in life...aren’t things at all!”

I witnessed that today.
We had our Celebration of Life Picnic for my forever friend Sandy.
Even though the news she received this past week was not encouraging—
Sandy said “The party goes on! We still have a lot to celebrate!”
And so… plans were kept, food was made, and 4 people showed up at 8am on a rainy Saturday morning.
There we were: Sandy and Captain D, Bella and me.
Had to snag the best table—the one closest to the bathroom and to the children’s section.
But on this Saturday—there wasn’t any problem finding the right pavilion—no one else was around.
But Sandy with her ferocious faith was determined—we were gonna have a party! We had something to celebrate!
So we put the tables together and set up the food—and we waited together.
While it rained—we talked.
I mostly listened—I just wanted to hear my friend share her thoughts, her plans, her hopes, her dreams.
And lovingly, inspiringly, she did.
Over at another pavilion—we heard a man praying aloud for the rain to move on—it was pouring while he prayed on.
He prayed for a solid hour!
And then… something miraculous happened—the rain stopped!
And then… the people came.
And they came…
And they came!
Nothing kept Sandy’s friends and family from coming to see their beloved Sandy.
They brought food.
They brought roses—beautiful roses!
I found out that Sandy’s cousin had been sending Sandy an electronic rose each day to show she was praying for her.
But today—she brought 2 dozen long stem, beautiful, all colors under the sun—roses in a vase—for her cousin!
Sandy greeted everyone with a smile, and a long hug, and a kiss on the cheek, and a “Thank You for praying for me!”
She had friends from work.
She had cousins and aunts—who came in their walkers—just to see Sandy—just to hug her and let her know they loved her!
She had her sons and their families.
That picture?
That’s Sandy with her granddaughters!
She is an inspiration to each of them!
They are seeing faith in action!
She is demonstrating to these little girls how you handle an impossible situation with grace and courage, love and honor!
She is teaching them a life lesson—and they don’t even know it yet!
But… they will—and they will always remember that Grandma Sandy taught them how to handle the impossible with grace!
Sandy moved between the circles.
It always happens—they gather together with those they are connected to, and they reminisce, they laugh, they cry, they share.
She had her cousins—her two aunts, in their eighties—came out on a soggy Saturday for their Sandy—to represent Sandy’s mom!
The aunts broke out into a song they sang in 1^st grade—and everyone laughed as they cried tears of joy, tears of years long gone.
Sandy spent time with her colleagues—about 9 of them—who needed her to know—she meant the world to them!
They spent the day griping about work—she joined in—as if nothing in her life had changed—she was united with them against work!
Sandy also visited with her grandkids and sons and all their connected family—smiling ear to ear—making everyone feel better!
And—I watched as all of these people came, bringing much too much food—but all came with arms outstretched to hug their friend!
The Bible says: “Herein is love—they you have love, one for another!” John 14:35
And I saw this “love” in action.
We know the prognosis.
But we also know… this woman of ferocious faith—determined to beat this cancer—was showing “us” love in action.
And that’s why we love her so—
She is still teaching us, all of us—what it means to be a friend!
And… for the 60 who came—
We all say “Sandy…Thank you!”
 

Brother “A”

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