Knit Cap from a Stranger

KNIT CAP from a STRANGER

Summer Sun Can Be Plenty Hot

It was summer in southern Arizona when I had chemo treatments for breast cancer. It produced an immediate problem. When I lost my hair, my head felt cold and I was not sleeping well.

I hoped to find a knit cap somewhere in my metropolis. Sales associates gave me some mighty strange looks, and I finally got the message---this was a lost cause.

A square cotton scarf tied behind my head felt comfortable. I didn’t realize people could still tell I was bald. Believe me, ignorance was bliss.

One day I renewed a prescription at the pharmacy, then wandered through the store. I felt I was being followed, but saw no one.

At last a lady said, “I noticed you at the pharmacy. I hope you won’t be offended, but would you be interested in a knit cap?”

My response was, “Would I! I’ve been trying to find one without success.”

Lavender Is A Pretty Color

She said, “I belong to a group that knits caps for chemo patients. The only one I have left is lavender. Would that be OK?”

“Color doesn’t matter,” I said, “I’d just be glad for a cap. My head gets really cold at night.”

After a quick trip to her car, she handed me a skull cap, knit in the softest lavender baby yarn. What an unexpected blessing. It was easy to smile as I expressed my appreciation.

That night, and for months following, I enjoyed good sleep with a warm head. Thanks to a small tag pinned to the cap, I was able to send the group a note of thanks.

I was impressed that the ladies not only knit caps, but put forth individual effort to distribute them. To me it was a perfect illustration of Ecclesiastes 9:10: Whatever your hand finds to do, do it with all your might . . . 

Here I am, thirteen years later, still thankful for a knit cap from a stranger.