Thankful for the Past

I came away recently from a special gathering at a loved one’s home feeling extremely blessed for this EDS journey.  I caught a glimpse of watching the past push me forward into God’s good purpose where I felt very, very fulfilled.  My husband and I were checking out a friend’s new home when a handsome couple approached us.  I noticed right away the beauty in this woman, striking in a vivid spaghetti strap dress.  Her face was gorgeous and yet my eye, familiar with another world of sickness, noticed a port hiding by the neckline of her dress and a pain patch resting on her left shoulder.  My heart instantly ached to know her story; I wondered if her days were filled with pain like us. 

As she and I made our way indoors, I fairly quickly felt comfortable to say how I noticed her pain patch which opened the opportunity to share our story very briefly.  I’m not sure why I did this except that in some way by sharing our story of pain, I was hoping to soothe hers for this moment.  She was not offended at all and we conversed back and forth, asking questions about medications and feeling quite at ease in our own little world where others could not comprehend, but where we were all too familiar. 

Wanting to respect this lady’s boundaries, I was careful not to keep her too long and we slowly made our way outside.  A shooting thought created anxiety in me that perhaps I had invaded her privacy.  As I found a seat under the tent in the yard, that feeling dissipated as this lovely lady came to sit beside me.  Her husband was just as friendly and along with my husband, the four of us enjoyed some good conversation not even tainted with the subject of illness.  See, we all understood how illness creates a yearning for everyday “normal” conversation where pain and the medical world is forgotten for a brief time. 

As the evening wrapped up and this couple was getting ready to leave, I embraced this sweet soul who was a stranger to me yesterday.  I whispered to her that I would be praying for her and she said the same.  My heart overflowed as I wondered if God had allowed all this pain in my life as an EDS Mama so that I would be able to connect with those that God would place along my life’s path.  In a strange yet providential way, I’m drawn to the hurting ones, comfortable with the sick, those with pain patches, ports, and all the mess and beauty that comes along.  I’m thankful and waiting to see how God continues to use all that He has prepared.

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