Can you remember an unexpected lesson?
Today, I let go of a TV I won 25 years ago at a silent auction. What seemed like just a Television has been a symbol of so much more. It has been a reminder of an unexpected lesson I received that I will never forget.
Twenty-five years ago, I attended a City of Hope event. Before this experience, I hadn’t personally encountered anyone with Cancer. I could not wrap my head around how much money people spent on auction items. I had no notion of the mindset of what people who have loved ones they have lost or are going through Cancer must be going through.
The month after this event, my Mom was diagnosed with Stage 4 Uterine Cancer. I now knew someone who had Cancer, and my whole world changed. I saw Mom spend the next year attending chemo sessions, Dr. appointments, and a determination to fight this Cancer beast.
I was invited to the same City of Hope event a year later. My understanding of Cancer has transformed significantly. This time, as I sat at my table, listened to speakers, watched people make donations, and enjoyed the silent auction, I remembered those who fight daily with Cancer and those who have lost the battle. My tears just kept flowing. I put one raffle ticket in the bowl for a large TV.
As the evening ended, I won the TV! At first, I felt I did not deserve it. Why me? Others deserve it more. But I believe the TV represented part of my lesson along this journey.
Can you remember an unexpected lesson?
Twenty-five years later, I am reminded not to judge others whenever I look at the TV. It was a reminder to stay humble. I had to go through my own journey to understand Cancer, the pain, the struggle, the love, and the loss. When I looked at the TV, I was reminded never to judge anyone on what they spend or are going through unless you are in their shoes. My Mom passed away one year after the 2nd City of Hope event. I am thankful for what I went through and what I learned.
It was time to let my winning TV go. I was filled with emotions, knowing I would not see the TV every day, it was a reminder of my Cancer journey. My 90-year-old mother-in-law reminded me. It was never about the TV; it was about the lesson I learned: to be humble and nonjudgmental and live a life of kindness and love. The TV is about letting go again, but this time of a tangible item. A reminder that life is about people, not things: life is about those unexpected lessons that happen when we least expect them.
The TV symbolized the lesson, but the actual lesson comes from how we live our lives daily.
I am forever grateful and always inviting the next unexpected lesson.
