A Bracelet For Hope

My colleague, Monique, has a sister who's battling cancer.  I have never met her, but have heard about her illness throughout the years...the hospital visits, chemo treatments, and the fight to survive. She's also a teacher and Monique told me it really disappointed her that she could not return to the classroom this year due to her health.

I promised Monique I would make her a bracelet to symbolize her struggles and the fight to not give up. That was more than a year ago. Now she's not doing so well, and her family has decided that hospice care is the next step.

I made sure I visited the craft store this weekend to purchase the supplies and complete the project that's been on my heart. I'm hoping these pink ornaments, and the iridescent spacer beads with hues of blues and greens, and a cancer charm, along with a handwritten note...from one stranger to another...will somehow convey the sentiment that she matters, her life matters, and she is thought of.

Do you know someone who's suffering with cancer or another disease? What do you say to someone who's terminally ill?

Sometimes...there are no words. Sometimes you just do what you are moved to do. And you pray your small gesture brings a little comfort, perhaps a smile, and definitely some hope.