Lost love found

SSally put on the coat from the second hand store, with the snow blowing around outside she was grateful to have found any coat at all in late December. Happy it was. Somewhat stylish and oh so warm. Plunging her hands in the pockets for added warmth she discovers her fist Christmas miracle of the season. Sally was used to miracles .in her life, her life was difficult at best and always seemed to fall through the cracks of polite society but she didn't mind if it meant she could behold all the miracles on a daily basis most seem to go on without noticing, the beautiful patterns of sparkling multicolored crystals in a snow flake, the loving embrace of a stray mother cat nursing her newborn babies in a wet basement window well, all the while purring her love song and the mittens in her pocket.

Over the years it was Sally's way to find a few less fortunate than her and help life open up to their own miracles, little miss Mary sunshine she was referred to by the shelter people. Funny, that's what her parents had called her. She never seemed to let anything get her down and growing up was often found with whomever in the family was down or ill.

NNow however it was her who was I'll and down, not in spirit but on luck as is often said. Her illness drove every one away when she could no longer pay their way and eventually even hers. Sitting in the homeless shelter she found herself alone. The speed on her face from the bedbugs weeping ,making her more of a contagion risk than most, her.cancef had taken her beautiful hair and her diabetes her figure. It was cold and she was hungry, waiting for soup to be served as she herself was not even allowed to give service as her gift this year. Still she wanted to give something to someone, to brighten thier day, to show them miracles still happen. Then she thought of the gloves in her pocket, after all she hadn't expected them and she was already so very greatful for the warmth of the coat. Sally spotted a little boy across the room, sickly thin and in an even thinner coat. His mother trying to warm him further by holding him close as they waited for the hot soup that would warm their hands and thier tummies.

TThen her miracle happened but she didn't know It just yet. She was busy trying to bengods love to the world around her. As Sally pulled the gloves out of her pocket a small folded piece of paper fell out into her lap. Curious she opened it and there was a love letter to a girl and a phone number. But the date was over r8 years ago, a high school boys admission of undying love and a promise to wait for an answer even if it took waiting the rest of his life.

BBut what was it doing tucked away in an old woman's coat. Was she unable to answer then, unwilling? My darling was the only salutation and it was signs love r ever Joe.

SSally lost herself in a little daydreaming, a pretend she called them.. her happy place had a man named Joe resident now and she sat there she didn't know how long till her soup came and broke her reveries.

WWhen she was finished with her soup she quietly walked by the little boy and his mother and without a word places the gloves on the table and whispered a little prayer for the child to get the medical help he needed.

TThen on a whim before leaving the shelter asked to borrow the phone for a call, the number on the paper, her only friend now. Planning nothing more than to tell Joe she had his note and offer it back, Nother little miracle in time perhaps, perhaps not. So with nothing to loose she listened to the ringing on the line and when the lady who answered the phone heard the woman's short story she was delighted to tell Sally there was indeed a Joe there and to please hold, that though it might not be her Joe it was after all Christmas and snowing, and didn't Christmas miracles come from snow fallen from the wings of angls?

Joe came to the phone, you could hear the emotion in his voice as he told Sally the story of an angel he met his graduating year of med school, she was studying to be a nurses aid. Quiet and the most beautiful girl he had ever seen. Sally soaked up his loving memories planning to incorporate them into her happy place. She told Joe that perhaps she really liked him but couldn't follow through with the call all those years ago. After all hadn't she kept his note, so well read and worn over the years.

When Sally asked if he might like to have the note for his memories he actually said yes and offered to send a cabbie instead of making her ride the ell into the city to come to his office.

And just before he got off the phone Sally heard him murmur "well at least I know mom took her the note".

Mom? Hmmm. And Sally hung up then slowly walked to the shelter entry way to wait for her cabbie. She was going to be allowed the gift of giving even now at the end, and with that she lost herself in her happy place. All the long way in the warm ride she relaxed with joe in the bright sinlit field of daisies.

SSally walked into the Dr office and was quickly and a bit truffle ushered into the contamination room so as not to bother the patients already waiting.to see Dr joe. Dr Joe wa an oncologist, sally had no idea, even in her best of years she would have never had the chance to see a dr of this calibre. She determined to say nothing about her own situation as this would in her mind negate her gift.

SSo when Joe walked in the room she smiled and offered him the letter saying him I'm sally. And as she looked up at him saw tears in his eyes starting to well up. Dr Joe I didn't mean for my gift to make you sad I'm so very sorry said sally. Sad, I'm not sad, im so veey happy to see mothers coat is coming to such a lovely use. You see she passed a few months ago just as she was getting all her winter clothing out of storage. So many beautiful things that she took good care of and held onto her whole life like your coat. But more than that I see the beautiful smile that captured my heart all those years ago in med school. I never married or dated though my mother tried so often in so many ways to remedy. Till today I never knew her name, it was you Sally, mother finally delivered my letter and though life has changed us I still see the gentleness in your smile and love for others in your heart I once did and am as much in love with you as I ever was. Just the sort of woman to be by my side healing and helping those stricken with the cruelest of malasies, cancer!

NNow it was Sally's turn to cry as she poured out her heart to this stranger who fell more deeply in love with her at each passing word.

Sally was given the best miracle of all that year when her happy place became reality, and each kindness from that day forward became the daisies in her sunlit fields of love.