A Gift from God

October 15, 2011 by Susan Shay 2 Comments

Ever notice how God sends things into our lives to trigger wonderful memories?

Yesterday, I went to my friend Cindy’s mother’s funeral. While we’re all sad to lose her, it was a celebration of her life and the joy we’d all received knowing her.

This morning, God sent the thing into my life.

The thing was a movie called, “The Beast with Five Fingers” starring Robert Alda

Image via Wikipedia

and Peter Lorre. I haven’t seen (or even heard of the movie) since I was in the sixth grade and stayed all night with Cindy for the first time.

Memories all but drowned me.

• Cindy and I stayed up to watch the late, late show that night on a channel that was fuzzy with snow. (This was before the days of Cable and Satellite TV.)

Besides being scared to death that whole night, I remember my friend’s mom, Mavis, made me feel as if I were part of the family. I was never one to sit on pins and needles, but this woman went out of her way to be sure I felt at home.

• The only fried egg sandwich of my life was made by Mavis.
• Watching “Rebel Without a Cause” at a slumber party at Cindy’s house, with Mavis in the next room ignoring all the noise we made.
• Mavis was the Worthy Advisor for our Rainbows for Girls chapter. That says a ton for the woman. Can you imagine dealing with a room full of teenaged girls? All the blooming hormones? The explosive emotions? 
• After I was grown and married, she treated me as if I were a friend, not the daughter of a friend.
• Working in the kitchen at Mavis’s son-in-law’s funeral dinner, she stopped long enough to tell me how right it looked for me to be there. Kind of like having my mother working there, in the old days.

I’ll miss seeing Mavis in my Small Town World, but I’ll cherish the memories she left there with me. They’re a gift from God.