Story Weekend Theme: What if??
One of my Facebook friends suggested this Story Weekend theme and it’s a great one. We all have at least one of those “what if…” questions in our lives. I have several a day! So here we go.
If you’re new to Story Weekend, here’s how it works: I pick a theme and you share something from your life that relates to that theme, however you interpret it. Thanks to all of you who’ve been contributing. I’ve loved reading your stories. As always, there are a few “rules”:
▪ The story must be true.
▪ Try to keep it under 100 words. Embrace the challenge! That’s about six or seven lines in the comment form. I want others to read your story, and most people tend to skip if it’s too long. I know how tough it is to “write tight” but I hope you’ll accept this as a challenge.
▪ Avoid offensive language.
As usual, I’ll start it off with my own story.
What if . . . my husband hadn’t had that affair? What if I hadn’t fallen in love with a very nice guy immediately after that divorce? What if I’d known that second marriage would also end in divorce, so I said “no” instead of “yes”? Then I wouldn’t have three amazing stepdaughters, still my precious friends all these years later. I have a great imagination, but not having them in my life is unimaginable.
What if I hadn’t switched my job and applied to be a nurse in a convent for retired Nuns of all places years ago.
I would have never have known the Love of these wonderful Sisters who have so much to share and give and to share with my family in their lives.
I would have never have decided to become an OPA and to be part of their community, in a new and different capacity as well as their nurse. What a blessing they are!
What if I’d managed to stop my father from leaving the house, just for a few more minutes? Would he have taken his own life anyway? Or would he have had a moment of clarity? Would my mother have still died of the cancer we believe was brought on by all the stress? Or would they both be alive today, happy together with my sister and I?
What if… we had universal health care? Would my Dad have sought medical attention when he started thinking something was wrong instead of putting it off because his insurance had lapsed from being laid off? What if I’d have forced him to go to the doctor earlier than I did? What if we hadn’t had a visitor that had tonsillitis when my Dad started showing signs of tonsillar cancer and caused him to think it was just a sore throat? Would he still have died from one of the most curable cancers?
What if……..my husband had not been straining to reach out the window at an ATM and hurt himself. When would he have found the lump under his left arm which turned out to be malignant melanoma in his lymph nodes? He had 22 lymph nodes removed within a few weeks followed by a year of intensive chemo and has been cancer free for 7 years now!
What if I had never taken that part time job at the
state Theatre in Lake Wales…
Iwould have never met the person who became my very best friend,
and we remained close friends until he died of cancer 30 years ago.
(How could I not participate when you have my picture posted??) What if…I hadn’t pushed myself past the point of exhaustion on my Architectural career path for so long, ending up with chronic fatigue syndrome, fibromyalgia, chronic Epstein Barr-Virus and on disability? I wouldn’t have met the hundreds of wonderful people and friends I have in the past 10 years and shared stories and inspirations with them. I wouldn’t have made time to counsel them on the things which matter most in their lives. I would have built static foundations out of concrete, but I value more the friendships which can spread and infect other souls.
What if I had never had to do CPR on my 59 year old father while 7 months pregant alone in the middle of nowhere and learn how to say my good bye in the ticking down of a heartbeat . How would I have learned to lean on the words of my father’s joy in the days to come when he said. ‘My baby is having a baby. and know that he is still watching…..
Oh wow. I’m reading these in Starbucks with tears rolling down my cheeks. What powerful stories!
Diane, I’m not entering, but replying to tell you that I have tears in my eyes after reading your “What if?” To think that so many choices and events happened to bring our lives together, and to think that if just one of those paths hadn’t intersected that we would not know each other. It breaks my heart to think about it. My sisters and I are so grateful and lucky to have you as our stepmom. Lots of love, Brittany
All of these stories are so powerful! I’m in ‘awe’ of them. My story will appear tomorrow.
What if I’d stayed in Florence 6 more months, which was the original plan…after spending a year there, I returned home 6 months early due to health problems…by coming home unexpectedly I met someone I would surely have never met…my best friend, soul-mate and future husband who changed my life forever by that ‘chance’ encounter. I can’t imagine my life any other way.
What if I had just one more day with my mom and dad. What would I say to them?? I love you and miss you BOTH every single day. I wish they were still here with me … I know in my heart they are both together again up in heaven …
What if I had fought for my 1st marriage a little harder?
What if….?
What if….?
What if….?
What if I had not given birth to the most beautiful red-haired blue eyed baby girl in 1991? I would never have known the soul numbing shock of hearing the unthinkable words, ” your daughter has cancer, prepare yourself for the worst”. I would never know the indescribable hole in my soul where her absence lives. But most of all I would never have known the joy of being her mom for the best 12 years of my life.
May the “best years of your life” continue to sustain you, as you carry the cherished memories of your precious daughter throughout your lifetime!
What if I hadn’t called his parents this time when he had yet another psychotic break? I hadn’t before. What was different about this time? Was he meant to go to their house and find the gun? Was he meant to leave me a widow so young? Would I be where I am now?
This question has proven to be an eye-opener. It teaches me that nearly every person I meet has grappled with something hard…and survived.
What if my sister had not said, “please don’t tell Mom,” when she shared her worst fears with me? What if I had not said, “please don’t tell her I told you,” when I did tell Mom? What if Mom had told my sister she was aware of the danger and she did not want her to stay in her home alone that night? What if “don’t tell” had not been uttered or honored by any of us and “good had won over evil” instead of the abominable events of the early morning hours. What if,…? If only!
What if the tumor had been discovered while our precious grandson was still being nurtured in his mother’s womb? What if our daughter had agreed to the immediate removal of the tumor when it was exposed during the birth of her son? What if after consulting a specialist and a year of chemotherapy the tumor had not been sufficiently reduced to allow the safe and successful removal of it? What if God had not had a better plan? Thankfully He did! Our family was truly blesssed with His miraculous gift of our treasured grandson as well as His gift of our dearly loved daughter, a second time!
What if I hadn’t had the courage 7 years ago to go to the hospital when I received that late night call from the chaplain there saying my ex-husband had been in a serious accident and was asking for me? If I hadn’t gone, I wouldn’t have heard first hand how sorry he was for the affair, the subsequent marriage, and the years he’d wasted without his family. I wouldn’t have known that hours earlier in that accident, his new wife had been killed instantly and from that moment on, I would be with him again, remarried 9 months later, going strong for 7 years now. My love for 20 years plus 7 more and counting.
A little late, but here is my “What if Story”. I have many, but this one seems to be the most recent. What if, Fibromyalgia and Arthritis hadn’t forced me to go on disability in 2003 after working my job for 20 years. I would never ever gotten a job as a substitute teacher. I would not have known that I have a passion for teaching. Now at the more interesting age I am, I have found a new career. One that allows me to love my job. As a Highly Qualified Paraprofessional, I love my job. I am working at the Junior High that all my grandchildren will attend. I will be in position to see all 4 of my autistic grandsons through jr. high. Sometimes God has a better plan than we can ever imagine.
What if…I can still see Dad the day we sat on the backporch – Mom was asleep. As he tearfully told me if I had not come back to Topeka after grad school to help care for them, Mom would either have progressed rapidly and died or been in out of home placement. He died three months later and they would not have had the last year of his life together at home.
Dad was 88 years old and died three weeks before their 66th wedding anniversary.
what if i hadn’t been drafted in 1966? would my rock group have been succesfull? would I have not lost touch with carole for over 40 years? would I havve been around to save my friend when he died from an overdose? would i not be having the nightmares i still get from my days in the army?
(sorrry this is late, but I was out of town last week and i never wore earrings for this week.)