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Dear Readers,
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"I believe in coincidences, and I also believe anything is possible."
Every day is a new opportunity to make change happen, and yesterday was no different. I got a help request from a woman seeking a local place to buy toddler-sized noise blocking headphones, needed that same day. Knowing I found ours online, I called her and told her she could use one of the few in the office. We ended up with me saying I would drop them off on my way home.
Friends, I never make house calls! Our list is huge (13,000 of you get this newsletter) and I don't play favorites - I try to avoid treating anyone extra "special," but for some reason it made sense to deliver the goods for this little boy. This was just an impulse that took over, something way out of the ordinary for me, related to work. I went with it.
When I rang the bell, I saw this tiny hand pressed on a small glass pane on the lower part of the door, then I met little man "X" who said "those are for me! Thank you!" And his gramma had a thank you card for me, complete with his handprint "signature." I said "hey, your handprint is the first thing I saw about you because it was in that little window!" He laughed. So cute!
We grown-ups chatted about some coincidences related to her first name and someone in my family, and similarities in our house numbers, kidding "we need to play the lottery!" We totally hit it off and I hoped to see her again someday. I didn't really want to leave but that would have been weird! So I did.
Because she lives nearby, I checked out her Facebook and found six mutual friends, noting her maiden name the same as a good friend and mentor who died in the recent past. I texted a mutual friend, just saying I met this lady (not how or why - confidentiality!) I asked "what gives - who is she?"
And the mutual friend told me this woman is my mentor-friend's sister! For real. What are the odds that a stranger's help request turns out to complete a kind of "circle of care?" Or like my friend said, "The universe is something else!"
So the little green headphones were a roundabout gift from the little boy's great uncle, now a resident of the Great Beyond. I believe in coincidences, and I also believe anything is possible. Today I let my newly found friend know (after I asked "are you sitting down?") of our heavenly connection. We were both totally amazed but not entirely surprised. Her brother was a very special guy, like his sister, like her grandson.
This is my Autism Connection story for the winter season - I really hope you also find some amazement and joy in the coming days.