Slice of Lime-One of My Heroes

The office where I now work is a place where I have been a patient for many years. The staff there have supported me through the healing process after 4 car accidents and one unfortunate zipline incident. There have been a handful of times when I just sort of melted down in tears and someone there brought me a tissue and gave me a hug when I most needed it. A couple years ago one of those staff members went through the unimaginably painful process of loosing her son to cancer. I was honored to give her a few hugs when she really needed it in those dark days.

This week marked the anniversary of her son's death. She was determined not to spend the day in tears so she organized a happy and silly way to remember him by asking everyone to wear bandannas (his favorite accessory) so she could have some smiles and laughter on that day instead. That goal all by itself makes her a remarkable woman in my eyes. I've known others who have spent every day for decades making those around them miserable because they feel the world should pay for their loss. My coworker made a far different choice, perhaps a more difficult one but one that amazed me.

Here are some pictures to prove the smiles. My hero of a friend and coworker is the lady in the blue bandanna next to me. You're not actually surprised I wore a tie dyed bandanna are you? I wore mine around my neck because I've been fighting headaches for 2 weeks and I couldn't bear to tie it around my noggin.

At lunch we began the intense laughter therapy.
Start laughing or the bandanna bandit will have to use this finger to tickle you!

See no bandannas, hear no bandannas, speak of no bandannas.

And for the Monty Python fans out there, we have the tie dyed Gumbie.