For BIG Mistakes, Use Your Big Pink Eraser

A breast cancer survivor told me, “I have permanent Pink eye!” We laughed as we shared countless stories of pink clothes, pink pens, pink shoes, pink household items, pink paper and Little Pink Books! I understood exactly what Jennifer meant when she shared her pink eye. Pink serves a wellness reminder of every survivor who beat cancer…and a reminder of those whose lives were stolen away too soon.

As I drove home from my first book signing event back in December 2009, the sun was disappearing under the horizon. Never before had I seen a completely Pink skyline; it was as if it was created just for me. I felt like I’d received a kiss from God that day. Brilliant and inspirational evidences of Pink continue to be put in my path, even Pink erasers.

I discovered a really big Pink eraser while shopping for other things. It caught my eye. First because it was PINK, second because it was BIG and third because it had a message written across its face: “For BIG Mistakes.” I grinned from ear to ear, and put it in my shopping basket. I planned to pass it on as a gift, for my teacher friend who was preparing her second grade classroom for her “little ducklings.”

As I passed that big Pink eraser forward, its message continued to dance around in my head. How many of us grieve over BIG mistakes, when we should simply erase them from our minds—isn’t that what “grace” is all about? Then I thought about fear. Fear can have such a tight grip that it’s paralyzing. Fear is one of the greatest deterrents to learning, growing and healing. Hope is the ultimate eraser for fear. Hope moves us forward, even in the midst of grief. With hope we experience a natural thirst to learn, grow and heal.

I’ll be sharing that big Pink eraser for a long time to come. Even though I passed it forward, its tangible message will remain with me. Thinking big—I wish that big pink eraser could erase breast cancer. Then every Pink item would be a messenger for “cure” rather than “fight.” That is a profoundly hopeful message!

Maryann Makekau, Author & Inspirational Speaker (www.becausehopematters.com)

Tagged: breast cancercancermistakesbig pink eraser