Grace in the Dentist’s Office

Yesterday I went to the dentist’s office for a check up.  The dental assistant was bent over my file, going through the routine list of questions.  “Do you have any new medical conditions?” she asked.  I let her know that recently I had been diagnosed with breast cancer and was going through chemotherapy.  She put her pen down and looked at me.  “Is your husband the guy who was in two weeks ago with the pink shoes?” 

Yes, I told her, the guy wearing the pink Converse high tops was indeed my wonderful, supportive husband, who had ordered the shoes to show his support and encouragement while I’m going through treatment. 

A huge smile spread across her face. “We all thought that was so wonderful!” she said.  Then she surprised me by saying, “The very same day your husband was here, another one of our patients came in wearing the prettiest pink toe nail polish.  I complimented her on what a pretty color it was, and she said, ‘My friend was just diagnosed with breast cancer, and I painted my nails pink in support of her.’” 

Her smile grew even bigger when she said, “I told her, ‘We just had a guy in this morning wearing pink tennis shoes, because his wife was just diagnosed with breast cancer!’ And the patient replied, ‘That was my friend’s husband, Joseph!’”

Who would ever have imagined that Joseph and my friend, Vicki, both would be in the dentist’s office on the same day, wearing the color of their support?

That has been the way of my journey with cancer.  Again and again, I have been surprised by gifts of love and grace—sometimes in the most unlikely places!  I am reminded of how God works in ways we might never expect, works through people and things that might seem ordinary, but in fact can reveal the divine.  If we just keep our eyes open, we might catch a glimpse of God, even through things like pink high tops and toe nail polish.