The cool wind gently touched my face as I pedaled along the bike trail. My senses were going wild with listening to the red-winged blackbirds calling to each other and the smells of a sweet fragrance blooming from the various trees.
As my legs were speeding along, my mind was also spinning. The tune and words on my mind for the past several weeks have been "The Windmill of Your Mind". This was first released in 1969 and sung by Dusty Springfield. I am definitely a 60's girl.
"Like a circle in a spiral, like a wheel within a wheel, never ending or beginning on an ever spinning reel, like a snowball down a mountain, or a carnival balloon, like a carousel that's turning, running rings around the moon....As the images unwind, like the circles that you find, in the windmills of your mind."
I have so much on my mind. So many stories I feel I need to tell. The phrase "everybody has a story" is so true. Recently in a store I came across a display box with the print "Every cork tells a story". I have collected so many wine corks throughout the year and have thrown them into a drawer. Needless to say, I purchased the box and brought it home. As I emptied the drawer, I thought about the cork and the story behind it. The person or people that I was with, the restaurant, the city, the stories and tears that were shared. Every time I look at that box of wine corks, I smile.
Finding a home for the wine corks, I felt I needed to gather the stories of my friends and share them with others. By sharing these stories, people will find courage and strength to persevere through life and to dream the impossible dream.
As I write down each friend's name and their stories, I reflected on what I have walked away with. We have all met and known people who have conquered so many obstacles in their life. When I think I am having a bad day, I reflect on my friends and acquaintances along my path.
One particular person that made an impression on my was Natasha. I first heard about Natasha about twenty-five years ago. I can remember that day as if it was today. It was a cold, rainy day in February. Sitting with some friends at a restaurant, one of the ladies had just spoken with her mother-in-law earlier in the day. Her mother-in-law, Mrs. Maxwell, had started a non-profit organization about ten years ago to assist children with health issues from other countries.
Just recently, Mrs. Maxwell had assisted a young woman and her young daughter by flying them into Houston from a communist country. The daughter had some facial deformity and she had been ridiculed all of her life. The mother wanted something better for her daughter. A doctor in the area had performed surgery, pro-bono and the family would be in the States for the next six months while the young girl's face healed.
My friend was assisting her mother-in-law with this mother and daughter during this time. As I listened to this story, I could feel God's spirit touching me and tears began to flow. I coudn't even imagine what this family had gone through all these years. This mother had traveled 7,000 miles to another country which she didn't even speak the language or even knew anyone. All she knew she had to do something for her daughter, no matter the risk.
I knew I needed to meet this mother. I wanted to hear about the challenges, the struggles, the life they lived. A communist country, which allowed them to leave. There was so much more to this story than her daughter having surgery. It was about a young girl who grew up to be a woman, who defeated all odds, who listened to a voice inside her to find the freedom that she and her family would eventually find.
Is your mind spinning? Do you need to tell a story about someone who fought all odds and made a difference? If you have someone on your mind, take the time to send that person a letter and to let them know they have a made difference. We all need affirmation!
Photo Taken in Sicily
