We attended a wedding on Saturday, dear readers. It was one of those fantastic weddings that was very low-key, the food was catered by a taco truck, we played corn hole and talked by the glow of paper bag lanterns. The couple reminded me of my husband and I getting married 9 years ago and it was a joyous occasion. I was floored by the response from my "Courage" post last week (read it here if you missed it), getting scores of personal emails from strangers, texts and calls from friends and family and public responses here on the blog. We all have something we wish we had the courage to do and the idea behind the courage wall resonates with everyone, no matter what your age, gender, religion or background. I got one step closer to my dream of playing the violin when we got home from the wedding very on late Saturday night.
We pulled into the driveway, feet hurting and tired and the first thing I noticed was a big black box leaning against our front door. My first thought was, "Is that a violin case? Did someone leave it here by mistake?" My second thought was, "Is that for me?!" I ran up to the stoop and ripped open the card taped to our door.
Readers, meet Josephine. Josephine belonged to a very dear friend who is one of the best souls I'll ever have the privilege of knowing, who read my post and was thoughtful enough, kind enough and amazing enough to pass her on to me. There's a handful of people in my life that have done incredible things for me - my parents, my first grade teacher Mrs. Horsefield, my husband, my son and a few special friends that have been there for me through thick and thin and Rachel is one of those people. A friend is someone who is not only there to laugh with you and calm your fears in dark times, but someone who puts aside their own life to hang out and knit with you at the local cafe, answer every text and email, watch your kid in a pinch, model for your knitting photos constantly and who most importantly, helps you reach your goals.
After reading the card and promptly bursting into tears on the front stoop, my tarnished old dream of playing the violin is looking shiny and new. You'll learn more about my knitting model and friend Rachel in a future post, but Rachel - dear friend, I will never be able to thank you enough for quietly and gently pushing me into the world of music and bringing my closer to my dream. You, my friend, are nothing but class and wonder.
I hope that Rachel made you realize that maybe you can help someone reach their goal. Sometimes it's just an email of encouragement, a cup of coffee with a note, a violin to pass on, a private knitting lesson, or a long conversation where you simply listen and offer advice. I fully intend to pay it forward and help someone else reach for their personal star and embrace their inner courage.
Josephine, we have work to do.