When I first learned that I had cancer, one of my earliest thoughts, believe it or not, was “I wonder if Justine will make me a hat when I lose my hair….”
When I first shared my diagnosis, my sweet friend Justine Dennis responded, “What kind of hat do you want?” Many of you know Justine, so know she is an artist who creates magic out of fiber. I have some of her sculptural work in my home, and am already the proud owner of one of her incredible, one-of-a-kind hats. I responded, “Did I already ask you for a hat, or did you just hear my heart calling you?”
Turns out she heard my heart calling. (And not for the first time.) The hats arrived today, from her home in Hawaii. Hats, plural, because when Justine gets several design ideas, she doesn’t just choose one, she chooses them all. Three hats and a scarf, each more beautiful than the next, tumbled out of the box, along with this note –
Hey Marcie!
Hope things are going OK. Put on a hat and you can pretend.
This is the first bunch of hats. I’ll send a couple more when they are finished.
Hats are powerful things. Not only do they keep your head warm, they can change the way the world sees you and the way you see the world, so…
Wear your hats with hattitude!
Much love,
Justine & Gordon
So, here I sit, with plenty of hattitude, writing about the joys of friendship, generosity, artistry, and heartfelt creativity. I was going to entertain some philosophical thoughts about pain, carry on about farmacies as opposed to pharmacies, and fill you in on my up-and-down week after chemo, and Justine saved us all just in time! Things really are going OK, and I’m not pretending.
Love,
Marcie
At the moment, my phone doesn’t want to take my picture, so I’ll inquire again tomorrow and see if her answer has changed. One day soon I’ll share some hattitude with you.
Published on CaringBridge.org — December 14, 2016
One Eccentric Contemplative 
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