*This is a work of nonfiction that was witnessed or experienced by myself and others. Everything you read has been written with permission and based on real life situations.
There is only so much irony that our brains are equipped enough to process. Maybe not everyone’s brain… but mine. If ya’ll have followed along with my editorials, enough details have emerged to understand that I’m a domestic violence survivor. That’s not what this story is about. My brain damage is the last thing on my mind right now… pun intended… after all, that sense of humor is what will keep us survivors going on.
On June 9, 2019 my life almost ended. It was a bittersweet night (with no problems that I knew of)... that’s the thing with victims… we don’t know. While I can sit here and say I was a victim, I also refused to become a statistic. I fought to survive. I will never become some number on a spreadsheet. I’m more than that…my life is worth more than that.
Let me tell you about something so far off the wall that you won’t even believe it. I’m still trying to understand it myself. While I believe in everything weird, wild and creepy… this kind of exceeds all of that. While I have survived certain death and emerged victorious, not many people know those details. I’ve kept it secret for a reason… for my safety.
Last night changed every perspective that I’ve ever carried within me… it was so surreal. To those who haven’t followed along so far - try to keep up. I spent six hours talking to a woman through random text messages for our business. She lives two doors down from a friend of mine who passed away about 16 years ago… that should have been my first sign that things were about to take some kind of weird twist. She has only lived in her house for almost eight years - she didn’t even know my friend. She knew someone else though… it’s a small world.
I’m going to take this back to 2016 when I wasn’t even in the picture of what she knew… what she desired to be a part of… back in the year that I was still in the middle of an abusive relationship. Like I said, a small world. It was May 2016 that my husband married his wife (his first wife) in Harrisburg Hospital. This story is about irony and respect.
My husband spent 20 years with her before those vows were read… 20 years staying by her side while helping raise her son. That’s all I can wrap my brain around - 20 years. I have watched him cry and mourn… I stand with him when he reflects… his wife is part of my life. Her ashes are in our living room and her life is still as relevant as it was before she passed. It’s all about respect. Yes, I still call her his wife… regardless if I’m his wife now.
Back to the fact that I was talking to a woman for six hours last night… it started as being job related. It’s my responsibility to spread the word and throw our contracting business out there. There’s a wild twist with what happened though… all because two chicks were just texting each other. I can assure you that somehow it evolved into what will become a lifelong friendship. Call it what you want… my brain still doesn’t know how to absorb it.
If any of you own a business and schedule next day appointments at night via text… tell me how many times you come across someone so connected to your life… someone you have never met… tell me how many times you have spent the whole night talking to them. Seriously.
I could LITERALLY feel the emotion in this woman’s responses. I could sense and feel everything. At first, I thought it was just because she was a nurse… a woman who was on the front lines and was sympathetic to my medical issues. While I despise sympathy, there was just something about our conversation… something so much deeper. Something that touched my soul in so many ways.
Last night’s random text conversation went so far past business related and straight into a PERSONAL connection that I can’t even explain. I wouldn’t even know how to explain it. I wouldn’t even try to explain it even if I could find the right words. It’s all so surreal.
A friendship was developed last night that will last forever. It was all by random chance. I’m pretty sure there’s better odds at hitting the lottery… last night was a once in a lifetime connection. My heart is so blessed with what transpired in our conversation.
I don’t believe coincidences… in my world, everything happens for a reason. Every encounter serves a purpose.
The woman that I was responding to random texts with worked at Harrisburg Hospital in 2016… more specifically in May 2016 when my husband married Kathy. I’m sure you can all agree how small of a world it is now. She’s really going through it (much like I am) because that day is still in the forefront of her mind. Kathy left this world not long after those vows. We all still keep her memory alive each and every day… God rest her soul.
I’m not really sure where my brain is taking me right now. This is all so much to absorb. What I do know is that I’m grateful for my new friend. I wouldn’t trade this random texting situation for anything in the entire world. This is a time that my husband and Kathy’s family could possibly find the closure they all deserve… a sense of peace… acceptance.
Today is the new beginning of forever… while embracing those we lost… rest in peace, Kathy Moppin… we all love you.
If you enjoyed reading about the insights into our Pennsylvania communities and would like to contribute towards the work of this struggling writer, feel free to buy me a cup of coffee. Everything raised goes directly to our homeless outreach fund. Thank you for reading and I hope each of you have a blessed day.
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