Applesauce and Gratitude
I work with college girls. Last year was graduation and with great pride and also sadness, I said goodbye to my group . I miss these girls, as they provided me with the “what if’s” of having girls; laughter, long talks, tears, and of course, countless cups of coffee and occasional glasses of wine.
This year I took on a new group of ladies (mostly seniors) who had never been part of a Core Group. This group has challenged me in new ways. I have to have my stuff together! One of our newer members is Lauren. In only a way God could possibly orchestrate, she went to my church in Highlands Ranch and I sang with her grandma for 18 years in the church choir. How does this happen? It didn’t take long for all of us to realize how special she is. Lauren suffers (but you would never know because she has a smile on her face at all times) from a rare genetic disease called Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome in which collagen is not structured properly and it can affect every organ in the body, as well as lead to unstable joints and hyper-mobility. As a result, her stomach is affected and Lauren is on a feeding tube.
Now, a big part of small groups is food...so when we meet, Lauren typically drinks water and watches the other ladies eat. One night I asked her if there was anything I could get her for future meetings. “Applesauce” ...”I like applesauce”...Now, I can do applesauce! Later that week, I went hunting at Whole Foods. Do you know how many kinds of applesauce options there are now? They have squeeze packets, strawberry, sweetened, unsweetened, cinnamon, and so many more. It didn’t take me long to realize that this trip to the grocery store wasn’t about applesauce at all. This was a wake up call. God was telling me to live every day with gratitude . Be grateful that you can eat real food. Be thankful for this new, totally unique group of ladies, and, most of all, use this moment to spread the word about this very uncommon disease that can change a child’s life forever.
Lauren works at Children’s hospital and has also applied to nursing school so she can work to help other kids affected by illness. She is the walking, talking embodiment of grace, faith and especially HOPE. If you would like to learn more about this and maybe even contribute: ehlers-danlos.com
I’ll never look at applesauce the same again.
It’s all about perspective!
CoffeeTalkMom
