May - A Message From Our Founder

Over and over, I am inspired by the innate goodness of people. And never more so than the Gift of Time days of pink ribbon sales at Memorial City Mall. The persons who tied ribbons to the ladders were giving more than their dollars. They shared the goodness of their hearts when they wrote names and dates of their encounter with breast cancer. Some inscriptions were in memory. Some were for encouragement. Some were “I just wanted someone else to know.”

And from each person there was a touching example of the “goodness of people.” A young girl, maybe 9 years old, took all the money out of her jeans pocket. She said, “I only have $3.00,” as she held it out to the Memorial Hermann volunteer. She had really wanted ribbons for her hair. But the adult with her encouraged her generosity with, “Honey, this is a very important cause.”
One teenager was with her mother. With tears in her eyes she said, “This is my Mother. She had breast cancer when she was pregnant with me.” And she wrote their names and dates of birth on their ribbon. Unspoken but obvious was the emotion and gratitude: “she was my reason to survive.”

One lady spoke with an accent I could not identify, nor could I quite identify her land of birth. She stood off to one side and I approached her. She said, “I only have five dollars.” I assured her that was a very appreciated amount. She said that she did not want to take time to select or tie a pink ribbon. I asked her if she had a personal experience with breast cancer. She replied, “No. I am just so thankful to live in this country and I want to contribute in the ways I can.” My heart said, “God bless America and God bless good people like you” as I tied a pink ribbon for her after she walked away.

A ladder filled with inscribed pink ribbons, along with a Weathervane Foundation check, was presented to the Breast Center at Memorial Hermann Southwest. The funds will be put to good use, I know. But the powerful message from those many hearts was more than money can buy.