Spreading Contagious Happiness

When I was diagnosed with breast cancer 6 years ago, I had a wonderful group of friends that cooked for us, one who cleaned my house and one who took the time to come to a chemo session with me (these lasted about 6 hours each).  Mary Lou stayed all day and kept me laughing . . . the time flew by!  She had been my Slovak Language Class partner when we lived in Slovakia (our husbands worked together).  We didn't know each other in spite of living in the same small town outside Pittsburgh before US Steel sent us overseas.  We took Slovak lessons for about a year and a half . . . made it to Chapter 3 in the book.  Yes, only Chapter 3.  Katka, our Slovak teacher, said we were her worst class.  We may have been her worst class in the amount of Slovak we learned, but I'm sure we were her favorite class because we had the most fun!  Mary Lou is one of those people that you can't help but smile around . . . she exudes contagious happiness . . . yes, that's the perfect description of her.  She is affectionately referred to as my chemo-sah-bee.

While we were recently out of town, I received a message from her that there was something she had seen in a gift shop that reminded her of me and she had sent it to me.  I was thinking "gag gift" surely . . . maybe something Slovak . . . maybe an old language book.  Imagine my surprise at this gift:

Aren't they lovely?!  A stitcher can never have too many pin cushions and who doesn't need a beautiful scissor holder you'd be proud to hang around your neck!?

Thank you my chemo-sah-bee!  What lovely things to remind me of you . . . veľmi pekná môj priateľ!

                                                                          ~*