There are two parts to this story…
The asking was in 2014…
I was attending a spiritual center in Newport Beach called Soul Center OC. It’s a cool place and still there if you want to check it out. At the end of one of the services, we were offered the opportunity to participate in a project led by one of the attendees. I was all in. We would be led through a meditation and then asked, “In three to five words, what is the message you would like to share with the world?” Once we had our messages in our minds, we went outside and our messages written on our bodies and photographed for the gal’s project.
I remember hearing the question, and my mind answering back rather quickly saying, “Be who you are.” I got my photograph taken and went on about the day asking myself…”Who am I?” It is a great question and one that I still ask myself quite often. For me, discovering who I am is an ever-evolving journey that I get to create and morph as I live my life day by day. That’s a lot of what the message and purpose of this website is about.
Then in 2017, I was told…
I just love how GUS reminds me of things in funbelievable ways. Here is how the story goes, I think you are going to like it, (smile).
It was Memorial weekend. I was getting ready to move in a week or two into my own place after having spent the past eight months living in a house with two other ladies. I needed to get out and be around some other people so I called a friend and asked what she was up to that evening. I told her I needed to get out for a bit. She told me she was at a BBQ and that I was welcome to join them. I remember asking her if they were all young like her (we are talking 20-plus years younger). She said, “Yes, but don’t let that stop you, just come join us.” I got the address, quickly made a dish to contribute, and was on my way. Yep, there I was at a backyard BBQ with a bunch of young folks I didn’t know. I introduced myself and chatted with a few of them and then…I looked over to my right and there was this young guy, maybe in his mid-twenties or so, motioning for me to move my chair over to sit by him. I did. He was different. I could see that he had a cane next to his chair and that people had brought his plate of food to him instead of him getting up. He had the biggest smile on his face and seemed delighted that I had moved over to talk with him. In a slow and shaky voice, he said, “Beee whoooo youooo arrrre.” “What did you say?”, I asked. He said, “I said, beee whoooo youooo arrrre. Be yourself.”
My head was spinning. I could hardly believe what he had just said to me. My mind and heart went racing, I was thinking questions like, “Who is this kid?” “Does he say this to everyone?”, “Does he know these words are significant to me?” I got the courage to ask him, “Is this a message for me?” He nodded with his big smile and said, “yeesss.” From there I asked him why he said this, and what it meant. From his grinning face, he answered “I’m weird.” I answered back, “Me too! I’m weird too. I love the word weird, you know…in Spanish, they use the word ‘raro meaning rare’ for the word weird. I like to think of myself as a rare jewel, set-apart, precious.” Now it was his turn to look astonisheshed. He said with a puzzled look on his face, “Do you know I speak fluent Spanish?” I told him that I had no idea. Keep in mind, I had just met him, never heard of him before, he did not have an accent, and he did not look in any way he might speak Spanish. Well, from there he told me how he had been in what is called an immersion program. He was taught in both English and Spanish all through his school years so he is fluent. We chatted for a while longer (very sloooowly lol) until I could see he was losing interest so I bowed out of the conversation and after a while went home. I remember being in awe of what a great experience that had been. I felt like I had just met an angel to remind me again to ‘be who I am’. I was so blessed I even shared the story with a few of my close friends over the next few days.
Here is where the story gets even better…
A couple of weeks went by. I had moved into my new little rental house and was furnishing it economically with fun things I could find at garage sales and such. I had inquired about a bedroom set and was told it would be at the garage sale the next day and to get there early if I wanted it because there had been a lot of interest. I ended up not getting there early and knew it was probably gone but went anyway just in case. I was walking up past the stuff in the driveway toward the garage when I saw a young guy sitting in a camping chair with a big smile on his face. It was Sean! The kid from the BBQ! I started talking to him, telling him how great it was to see him, how much my meeting him and his message had meant to me. He smiled back at me and said, “Who are you?” That’s when I realized he had no memory of meeting me. I smiled back, politely told him my name, and went to look for the person in charge of the garage sale.
I looked around and found the man in charge. I asked if Sean was his son and he nodded yes. I said, “He doesn’t have short-term memory does he?” He told me I was correct. He had been in an accident and was left without all his memory. I proceeded to tell the story of how I had met him a couple of weeks prior and the conversation he and I had had. I told him what a blessing he had been to me that day and how much I needed to hear that. With tears in his eyes, he told me how sometimes Sean asks why the accident happened to him and wonders why he is still here. He thanked me for sharing my story with him because he needed to be reminded that even in his son’s condition he was still able to be a blessing. I smiled and said, “You know, I thought I was coming here for a bedroom set but that was never the case. God works in mysterious ways. I came here to meet you and share my Sean story.” I left there as if I was walking on a cloud. Once again I had been blessed by an angel and had been given the opportunity to be a blessing in return.
As I sit here and finish up this blog post, I am in awe and wonder again. You see, earlier, I was feeling a bit down and was going back to that question, asking myself why I’m here. Wondering what I have to offer and then…the idea to share this particular story came into my mind and I am reminded that no matter what is going on in my life, I always have an opportunity to bless someone with a story. This one is very dear to my heart and I’m glad I am able to share it with you today.
With much love,
Suzi