You DO Matter!

"I know you!"

This voice, and these words caught me off guard. I was at work, behind the register, expecting to ring up yet another large drink, ginormous popcorn, and package of Junior Mints.

"I've read your book." I looked up. "We're friends on facebook. You've been such an encouragement to me. You are so beautiful - you remind me of my mom."

I blushed, and kind of looked around, a bit embarrassed, but also thrilled to meet someone else in our wide world of NF. She said she wanted a hug, but she was late to her movie, and quickly flashed a selfie pic with me. She headed off, and my fellow cashiers just gave me a strange look and went about their business.

After all. I'm just a nobody. At least that's how I feel most of the time, and, to a point, how I prefer things to be.

It's easy to slip by- go unnoticed and stay isolated in my own little world...I'm not a lime-light sucker....And do not THRIVE at being the center of attention.

'A Quiet Encourager', was how one woman described me, when I was a guest speaker for an NF group in Canada.

It's amazing to me, the impact just ONE person an have on another.  Good or Bad.

When this blog started 7 years ago...It began, simply, as a way for me to journal our way through a very frustrating situation.  The only intention, was for me to find a way to get through the complications with a positive attitude....If someone read a post, then great....If not, no biggie.

Blogging gave me time to sort my thoughts....Giving me an opportunity to process them....Then allowing me to put those thoughts and feelings into action.

What good would this blog be....If I wasn't living what I was writing here?

For a while, I felt as if these words...would go out into cyber space and disappear.  No one commenting on my posts...Meant, no one was reading.

I got trapped in a mindset that I didn't matter.

I was still THRIVING.  But...Well you know.

Then something would happen that would totally knock me off my guard.

A note on my windshield from a mother dealing with a new NF diagnosis, who noticed the "THRIVING WITH NEUROFIBROMATOSIS" bumper sticker....

A warm, friendly hug with parents at the Children's Hospital, who just had their child diagnosed with NF...

An e-mail from a stranger...who google's 'Neurofibromatosis' and comes across MY site, and feels encouraged...

Or...Like the other night....

Just as she was telling ME how I encouraged HER....She was totally doing the same for me.
At THAT moment....JUST when I was feeling like I didn't matter.

It's so easy to think and believe that we don't matter.  To go through life and just exist.  But ...who wants to JUST EXIST?

YOU DO MATTER.  What you say.  HOW you say it.  How you act.  It ALL matters!  And you never know who YOU can encourage....It could come from just being a nice person!

It doesn't mean you have to go write a book, or start a blog....But it does start with believing in yourself.  Believing that you are worthy and good enough...And then, spreading that around, so that everyone around you believes it too.

THRIVE ON!