…And Bells on Her Toes

“Whoever you are, I’ve always depended upon the kindness of strangers”.  That line, from one of my very favourite plays “A Streetcar Named Desire”, by Tennessee Williams, doesn’t begin to convey the way I feel right now.  Blanche DuBois, a character larger than life, manages to sum up in one line what it will probably take me this entire post to say.

I am at a loss for words.  I will try to stumble through it. 

All my life I’ve never been the recipient of a selfless act until today.   I entered a baby photo contest last week and the theme was “Messy”.  I had the perfect picture – Caity, my youngest showing off the artwork she created when her Daddy was babysitting one day (I’ve still not let him live this down, by the way).  She was covered, legs, hands, nose, teeth, all covered in black marker.  Daddy was mad, Caity was crying, and I was laughing hysterically.  I wrote a post and emailed my friends and asked them to vote.  I didn’t have enough votes to win.

But Sarah did.

Sarah had heard about our story probably indirectly through Carly’s website (www.durhamregionbaby.com) through my entry.  Carly is the lady who held the contest.  I’m a regular at Carly’s site, have been since her days at the Durham Paper when she had her Pregnancy Blog and after when she introduced us to Lucy and her youngest daughter Alice.

Sarah won the contest and donated the prize – a free house cleaning – to my family.  When Carly wrote to me today and told me, I couldn’t stop crying.  Seriously, I’m not used to people giving something without wanting something in return.  I guess that’s what’s made me so jaded and cynical over the years.  I entered the contest, this contest in particular because of my husband and the damned illness he is facing in his young life. 

I need now to clean my house so that I can have my house cleaned.  Those of you that know me will understand what I’m talking about. 

Sarah, again, thank you.  I’m sorry my email to you was so short, but I hope I was able to convey what I meant.  You don’t meet a good person every day, but I’m glad to have met you, online at least …