Something amazing happened!

Life has a habit of surprising us at the most unexpected of times and this Thursday just gone was one of those times.

TP was admitted into the local hospice for a small palliative procedure for a few days on Thursday and whilst it is indeed an amazing place providing an amazing service, that isn't the story I am referring to in the title of this post.

Walking in on Thursday I was suddenly confronted by a nurse, grabbing hold of me and exclaiming loudly 'Oh my God, it's you!' At this point you will understand that I was somewhat surprised and not a little confused! The lady in question was very vaguely familiar to me but I couldn't work out why and she certainly wasn't someone I expected to be greeting me in such an effusive manner.

Having hugged me seemingly unendingly she began to enlighten me;

It transpires that years ago, maybe twelve or thirteen, when I was working on a customer services desk for a national retailer, she had been a customer. I won't bore you with the minutiae but she had 'taken issue' with me over a purchase she had made and we had become involved in a protracted conversation.... which along the way had moved from it's initial subject to something more personal and something that I have experience and some knowledge of.

Apparently I talked to her at some length, offered some advice and she left but what I said to her had somehow 'hit home'where others hadn't. She took my advice within days, did what needed to be done and the result, and this is the amazing bit, that she now considers that I quite literally saved her life!!! She tried to find me sometime later to thank me but I had left the area. She said she has thought of me often since and wondered if we would ever meet again so she could tell me how I helped her.

To say I am gobsmacked would be a pretty big understatement and whilst I'm sure she would have managed to find her way without my advice it is very humbling and pretty amazing to think I might have helped in any way. To feel that she even remembered the incident let alone that it had any impact on her life just amazes me.

We of course sat chatting for a while catching up and she then proceeded to drag me embarrassingly around the building by the arm excitedly introducing me to her colleagues as 'the woman that saved my life' *blush, ever wanted to hide in a hole?*

What is truly amazing though is that somehow we met all those years ago and I helped her unknowingly and now she has re-appeared in my life by coincidence, this time to help me and mine!

Life can be very surprising and very special when you least expect it sometimes!