I haven’t blogged in a while. I’ve been rather busy and haven’t had time to share. I recently traveled to Orlando to a John Maxwell live event. I earned my John Maxwell certification as a teacher, coach, speaker and leadership trainer. I’ve never been so happy. Being a part of such an awesome team has been an absolute blessing. JMT (John Maxwell Team) has changed my life. I hope that I can add value to the lives of others like JMT has done for me. 

Last week I received a call from my endriconologist’s nurse. My doctor had asked the nurse to schedule an appointment to see her right away. I thought nothing of it. In fact, I thought it was a follow up for my blood test. I met with my doctor today. She explained the nodules on my thyroid had grown and she felt it was necessary for me to have a biopsy. I have hashimotos and thyroiditis. I also have a genetic mutation that causes several types of cancer. Thyroid Cancer is one of them. Lucky me. I’ve already experienced three of the cancers on the list these past two years. I have become so immuned to the “C” word that to be perfectly honest, I wasn’t fazed by the possibility. After all, isn’t the thyroid the size of a walnut?!  How bad can it be?! 

My mother went to my appointment with me today so afterwards she wanted to grab a quick bite before driving home. We drove to KFC. As we drove in the parking lot I saw the KFC sign and thought “KFC….Keep Fighting Cancer”. Yup. That’s me. What an appropriate place to eat after hearing the news of my thyroid. Hilarious. 

My mother and I walked in the restaurant and as we were ordering a woman looked at us and was excited to see us. She walked over to say hi and hugged both my mother and I. The next thing I knew her husband came out of nowhere and was ecstatic saying “Velma!!! It’s you!! I haven’t seen you in years. I think about you all the time. I have never forgotten you!!”  He then gave me a big hug. I’ll be honest, I vaguely recognized his face but had absolutely no idea who he was. I didn’t want to be rude so I told him how happy I was to see him also. We exchanged small talk and then sat down. When my mother and I sat down I asked her if she knew that couple. She said yes. She tried to spark my memory but it was to no avail.

 I have continued to struggle with memory loss since having chemo. I have a hard time remembering things and remembering people. An example is last Sunday I went to mass. There was a gentleman there who I recognized. The entire mass I kept trying to recall how I knew him. “Was he one of my doctors?” “Did his children go to school with mine?” I couldn’t remember. When we got to the part of mass where we offer peace to one another this man walked over and said “peace Velma” and shook my hand. I thought to myself “who is this guy?!”  Well after mass I asked him who he was. I explained I occasionally suffer from memory loss. He was so nice and very understanding. Thank goodness because I was humiliated when he told me who he was. He was one of my clients!!! Yikes! 

Back to KFC. After my mother and I had finished our unhealthy meal, I walked over to that man and his wife’s  table. I apologized to him and explained to him how I just couldn’t remember his name. I explained my cancer and my memory loss. He was so understanding. He told me his name and told me we had worked together. Finally!!! I remembered!  He hugged me again and explained that I was always so nice to him and treated him so kind when I had worked in the office at the warehouse we worked at many years ago. He shared how he never forgot me or my acts of kindness. He shared he had gotten hurt on the job and it was me who took him to the hospital that day. He shared I had stayed with him the entire time until his family arrived. I didn’t remember any of this but it certainly sounded like something I would do. He hugged me again so before we parted ways I prayed with him and his wife. They were both so happy. 

As my mother and I drove home I reflected on what had happened. I have learned so much from being a part of the John Maxwell team. One of the things I’ve learned is The Law of Legacy. John asks the question “what will be your legacy when you’re gone?”  I was happy to think that the legacy I would leave behind is my act of kindness in this mans life. How awesome is that?!  It’s interesting how one act of kindness can impact a persons life in such a way that you may forget the act but the person on the receiving end is impacted in such a way that they never forget you. Remembering you in such a fond way is such a blessing. 

This incident was a lesson for me. I will keep on keeping on no matter the challenge and through it all I will do my best to be kind to others. After all, just one little act of kindness can impact another’s life forever. I’d like a simple act of kindness to be part of the legacy I leave behind. What will your legacy be?