Healing Comes in Unexpected Ways
Jul 01, 2026
I’m just back from our annual family reunion in Florida, where I grew up on the beautiful Gulf of Mexico. I spend a week with my dad and stepmom, all my siblings, their kids, and, in my case, my grandchildren. Four generations present.
I also always visit my Mom, who is still thriving at age 91.
I am still on my healing journey with Parkinson’s, and it touched this visit in unexpected ways. The outpouring of kindness and care from my family was heart-warming. It came in many forms: preparing lunches, swimming with me so I wasn’t alone, helping me with my chair, even catching me when I got off balance. Everyone was so very attentive.
The most surprising healing, however, came at a jewelry counter at the mall. And it didn’t touch just me.
One of the things that bothers me currently is how difficult it is to put my earrings in. It takes a lot of time and effort. I was telling my Mom I need a pair of hoops I can wear all the time so I don’t have to think about it. I am very sensitive to metal, and the ones I had on were getting my ear infected.
She said, “Let’s go to Nordstrom’s!”
So off we went with my Mom, my sister, and my daughter to Tampa’s International Mall. I was reluctant, as this is not something I do these days, but they all promised we’d be in and out in no time. Besides, I had plenty of help.
We didn’t find much in the jewelry department that fit the bill until Cindy came to the rescue – an attentive saleswoman decked in a green designer T-shirt and tasteful gold jewelry. “We are on the hunt for tiny gold hoops for my daughter to be able to wear all the time, even to sleep in. She has Parkinson’s.”
The team got to work. While Cindy was unlocking the case, my sister and daughter scoped other cases for additional options. They proceeded to help me try on the hoops – Lila digging into one ear while my sister Ann Scott was pulling and tugging at the other. This navigation can be painful at the best of times; my infected ear was raw enough that I was yelping through the process.
Meanwhile, in full Southern style, Mom was bragging about her granddaughter, and told Cindy that Lila was a finalist on The Voice. (She does this everywhere she goes, from the grocery store to the dry cleaners’.) Cindy wanted a selfie for her own granddaughter to see; Lila, who’s used to being recognized, was happy to oblige.
At last, the hoops are in place, and the earrings are perfect. My sister finds another pair for my second set of holes. These are much more extravagant (expensive!) with diamonds, but she insists I should get them. I initially dismiss the possibility of spending that much on myself. Then I reconsider…
I explained to the three of them the difficulty I have with getting earrings on and off. Cindy began to tear up, as she expressed how precious this is, to have my family here helping me (I know, it’s just earrings). I shared that, at this point, I often have to forego wearing jewelry or fixing my hair or makeup due to my tremor and loss of fine motor skills. Now they all were welling up.
I looked back in the mirror. Though it might appear trivial, those gold hoop earrings gave me a significant lift. I realized that if the two pairs were to be my only accessory, they truly ought to be special. The team concurred; my sister and daughter placed the diamond earrings in my ears. They were simply stunning. After much internal debate, I resolved to purchase the second pair myself – only to discover that my mother had already covered the cost.
The love and care offered to me were palpable; I could feel the poignancy of the moment.
By then it felt as if we were the only ones in the room. Cindy was deeply moved by the entire experience. She proceeded to share how her mother, father, and sister had all died early of cancer.
Standing there in the middle of Nordstrom’s, I felt love from my mother, sister, and daughter in a way I had never felt before, as a direct result of my own vulnerability. The receiving of their care became a healing catalyst for all of us, including Cindy.
We left the mall knowing something special had happened. I have cried many tears since that trip, as if I have somehow been cracked open.
My journey toward wholeness is still progressing – but I’m glad to have a wonderful family supporting me. Letting the love in was the most beautiful gift I could receive (though the earrings ain’t too shabby, either!).
Molly Knight Forde is the founder of the Awareness School and author of Be Present: Reflections On The Way.
If you are interested in her journey with Parkinson’s, you can find all related blogs under that heading by clicking here; her first explanatory post was in January 2024.
You can become a member of the Awareness School anytime. Click here for more information: https://www.awarenessschool.com/memberships
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