January 2007

This job is never just a job. There are always opportunities to help or to reach out, even in the most unexpected of times.

So it’s a new year and we all know what goes along with that. Resolutions, promises to change, plans to improve, new goals, etc. etc. etc. For me, one thing I want to change in my life this year is the curtains in my house. When you buy a house that belonged to someone else, you buy not only the house and the property, but a little bit of that person’s taste and style. It was time to bring my own sense of style, whatever that may be, to our curtains.

This morning, Curtain Lady, as I had been calling her, came to the house to show me some samples. And samples. And more samples. It was overwhelming. Much like choosing paint colors or fabric for a new sofa.

After all the decisions were made and Curtain Lady was walking out the door, she asked me where I worked. Of course I told her the Pennsylvania Breast Cancer Coalition, and then it happened again. Another woman, a complete stranger, telling me she had been diagnosed with breast cancer two years ago and in fact has her final surgery next month. Curtain Lady was no longer just Curtain Lady. She was a survivor, a new-found friend who lives and works in Ephrata, enjoys her craft, and is a little bit scared about next week’s PET scan. I gave her my card, told her about the PBCC, and told her to call us if there’s ever anything we can do for her.

Who is the Curtain Lady in your everyday life? Have you asked her how she’s doing? Maybe she just wants to talk.

Make it a happy new year for someone who needs it.

Heather Hibshman
Executive Director