The Third Letter of the Alphabet

A good friend gave me a gift this weekend.  She probably did not intend on giving me this gift, when we parted last week, but nevertheless, she did.

Sometimes gifts come when least expected.  Not on birthdays, or Christmas, or one of the other myriad of Hallmark holidays.

They come quietly, in the morning, from out of town.

I took a trip back in time this past Saturday, and that was part of the gift.

Leaving Delaware and traveling north, I turned onto Route 452 and continued north for about 10 miles.

I had forgotten how "close" communities and roads could be outside of Delaware.  Delaware County Pennsylvania is so different from northern Delaware, though they share a border.

Here I was traveling past the apartment where I used to live, the church where my daughter was baptized, the first apartment next to the firehouse, past the road to Linville Orchards, up to Granite Run Mall, Weathers Motors, Riddle Hospital, Lima, Aston and Media. 

This past was the early part of my adult life.  When I was first married, going to college, having a child.  The time when my faith was growing, slowly, steadily.

Growing but still not preparing me for everything to come down the road.

That is where the second part of the gift comes in.  I was given the chance to re-learn the alphabet.

A, B,C.

C,C,C,

Three C's.

Cause, Control, Cure.

I did not cause it.

I cannot control it.

And, I cannot cure it.

The gift of my lifetime.

Of all the letters in the alphabet, I have determined that C is my favorite.

It has provided me with a lifeline. 

And, it was the gift that came quietly, and unexpectedly this Saturday.

Thank you my friend.