As I put on a hoodie this morning, I remembered it was the sweatshirt I was wearing when Ramón was diagnosed with leukemia. I didn’t think that in a negative or positive way. I just observed the fact that it was indeed the sweatshirt I donned as my heart sunk into my chest.
I was sitting on the couch at home when the primary care doctor called and insisted that we go to the emergency room. Something was very wrong with Ramón’s routine blood work. Though it was May and the heat had already made itself at home in Atlanta, I knew a hoodie was a must-have in the frigid hospital setting.
I tossed on this particular sweatshirt for no rhyme or reason. I had no clue it would be what I was wearing when my entire life trajectory changed in an instant. But it was.
Today, as I wore this hoodie, I felt at peace. I could have easily deemed it tainted after that unfortunate day. However, it reminds me where I was and where I am now — and I’ll continue to wear it where I’m going until I wear it out.
As I snapped a picture of the hoodie specifically for this post, I noticed the tag has a secret message. I’m certain I’ve seen it before, but that detail had escaped my memory. I think I was meant to see it today — and maybe you were, too.
