are YOU "the One?"

 The following is a story from the gal we have been praying for, whose house burned to the ground last April. It is such a wonderful Godwink that I had to share!

"When I opened the box, I, for a time, was confused. The heavy wool blanket tumbled out and I stretched my arms high over my head to get a better look at it. I thought for sure it had come to the wrong address. I checked the label and nope, it was for me. I turned the blanket over and spied a large gold embroidered "W." Also a star. I was still confused.

In the bottom of the box was a newspaper clipping. I started reading it and I shouted to my husband-although he was only a few feet away. "Oh Scott, look! Look what I have!" I showed him the blanket and my words were all jumbled. "These are the colors of the University of Washington....It's a sort of letterman blanket, given out to athletes...Oh Scott!" My eyes filled with tears. In a moment, it all came to me. "Oh, dear Lord! A blanket. After all these years. I have my blanket...!"

Decades ago, I ran track at the University of Washington. It was heady times. Women's sports were really just getting started. I ran the 100, 200 and 400 and relays. I had transferred from Western Washington University-where I also ran-to join the Huskies. We competed in California, Utah, Oregon. By the time I graduated, I had a box full of medals, pictures, programs, etc. Lettering all 3 years, I also was awarded a hand-tailored letterman jacket and a ring. I recall asking the coach about getting a blanket also. He said that you had to letter for 4 years to get the blanket, a very nice monogrammed wool blanket. I was disappointed, but understood.

After leaving the UW and working for a few years, my life took me to Minnesota. I continued running-albeit mostly in local 5 and 10K's and a couple marathons. In 1989, we lost our home to a fire. All my possessions, including my UW treasures were gone. I remember finding my Josten's ring in the ashes. The onyx stone was gone and the ring mishappen by the fire. No repairing that. My mom felt bad and managed to get a 1977 high school annual from our superintendent, Thomas Poe. At least, then, I had a few high school pictures.

Years came and gone and I managed to rebuild my life. Then, in 2024, my husband and I lost our log home to a fire. Nothing left... again! I thought, how could this be? I thought of the "lightning never strikes in the same place twice" metaphor, but didn't know how this related to the fires. We lived in a camper and a little shed while we carried on, feeding the calves, chickens and putting one foot in front of the other.

Then, while renting a rental house over the winter, THE box came. The one filled with that purple and gold blanket. It was a Pendleton brand and looked to be almost new. The newspaper clipping explained it. Sylvia Neth, an outstanding former Enumclaw, WA teacher and a few other trail blazers for women's sports had been honored with those blankets for their contribution to women's sports. Sylvia, herself had played field hockey for the Huskies in the 1950's. Although not an organized sport such as you see today, they did play teams from all over and one against a team from Canada-whom I understood were hard hitters and much more experienced than the UW ladies.

My mind raced backward to the fires....to the losses....to the blanket I thought I would receive and did not. But, here it was. After all these years-here was a blanket even more precious than the one I might have received. Given to me. To me! Sylvia's precious acknowledgement of HER achievements and sacrifices. I delicately traced the "W" and thought back over all those years. And, I brushed away the tears that fell on the purple wool." ~Patsy Shannon