By now I hope you have found throughout my site that this just isn’t “My story”.  This is a story about many special people, many unsung heroes who gave me the strength to keep moving forward one step at a time.  I recently received a note from one of these very special people.  Her name is Martha.   I only met her once, but as you will see she played a very important part of my recovery many years ago.

I remember the day like it was yesterday.  I was in the early stages of my injury and it was a bit overwhelming with the amount of cards, phone calls and support I was receiving from all over the country.  My brother walked into my room and said he had something special for me.  As I looked up at him he showed me a very beautiful St. Anthony medal in the palm of his hand.  He went on to say that a woman, Martha, whom he worked with and respected very much, wanted to share the medal with me.  The medal was a very special part of her rich family heritage.  He placed the medal in my unresponsive hand and knelt down to say a prayer.  We prayed together, and as always, I then went on to continue my daily, grueling rehabilitation schedule the rest of the day.   I remember thinking how nice it was for someone I never met to take the time to send such a special blessing my way.  It was special because she didn’t know me.  Although she worked with my brother, she also must have had a high level of trust to give this special medal to him, especially because he had to travel across the country to visit me in the hospital.  It’s these incredible acts of kindness that can give you an amazing amount of strength... 

In the note that Martha wrote, she went into more detail about the medal and the significance of that special day.  She explained how very special her St. Anthony medal was to her.  It was given to her as a gift when she was just fifteen years old and it was blessed at the Shrine of Our Lady of Guadalupe in Mexico City.  The medal has traveled to many of her friends that have been ill and now are well.  My brother had recently shared this website with her and she explained how much she loved it.  She was writing me to express her excitement and belief that “Miracles do Happen”.

While I never thought of my recovery as a miracle, I always believed that the many blessings I received came to me in so many different shapes and sizes  And today they still do.    I am convinced that in  times of extreme adversity, so many factors have to align in your favor and you have to believe that “Miracles do happen”.  I also believe that a continuous positive mind-set sets your course long before adversity strikes.  It takes a special kind of energy to be positive and that same energy gives you the ability to receive the blessings in your life.  My wife Shelly would tell you that I was the perfect candidate for this special blessing from Martha and that the medal was one of many special reasons why I walk today.  Shelly by the way is another one of those blessings that have been so carefully aligned in my life.    

So, this brings me back to Martha’s recent letter.  I believe I am alive and well for a reason.  I believe that all those people who played a part in my recovery are also alive and well, yet they may not know their best days are ahead of them.  You see, Martha also shared  a lesson she learned from her father when she was eight years old.  He took her to Mexico City for Christmas and it was at that time she experienced poverty for the very first time.  She didn’t like to see people suffer and her father turned to her and said...”Always remember to help one another.  Even when you least have it.  When you help someone, God will repay you DOUBLE.”  Martha went on to say the best part of her life is always trying to help someone else, even if it is just a SMILE.  If you are like Martha  and live a life of victory, helping others along your path, you will also be rewarded DOUBLE.  Thank you Martha!  I will remember your act of kindness with every step I take and try to give back along the way.  You are a very special person.