I don’t know if you watched the Superbowl, but oh what a comeback story! It seemed the Patriots were simply under a cloud for most of the game. You could see discouragement and even despair on their faces. But then, hope returned as they began to scale the mountain. I don’t know about you, but I was so inspired just watching the turnaround and watching them claw their way back up to what seemed an impossible victory! During the game, it seemed no one thought they stood a chance. I kept hearing, “Well, that’s the ball game!” “Well that’s it!” But then the impossible became possible! I’m smiling because I think of the times in life when we see those miracle moments in people’s lives! Don’t you just love a comeback story?

Shifting gears here, but on a similar note, my husband has been a collector of antique radios for several years now. I enjoy going along with him to auctions and yard sales and the occasional antique radio show where people come to buy and sell. At one such show, it looked like there was not much we were interested in that was affordable, but I went back for one more look, a good close look. Most of the finest pieces were going quickly at top dollar. But I saw one radio, on the ground back under some tables, almost like it was going to be scrapped. It looked pretty bleak.

She was beat up and dirty and missing a few knobs. Some trim was also missing, and a large hole was torn in the cloth. I asked the man nearby the table how much he wanted for it. He said it was really just junk, and he hadn’t intended to even try and sell it. I offered him $15 for it, he seemed very surprised, but he readily took it. And then I carried my new treasure back to Troy. Troy laughed and gave me a pained face, like “What did you do?” I told him I thought she was beautiful and was full of potential, and I named her “The Cinderella Story”. Well, the more my husband looked at it, he agreed. She really was a special radio! So, we took her home and he began the process of gently cleaning her up and restoring her. Troy specializes in the woodwork and exterior of the radios. Any radio he keeps, his intention is to get it fully restored and functioning. Boy do I respect that!

But even more important than the outside of that radio is what was going on in the inside. That was why she was created, to make music and communicate with the world. For that, Troy knew he had to take her “insides” to a true professional.

This is Paul Colosimo. Paul has been working on radios pretty much all of his life. Paul was born in 1917 (not a typo). He served in WW2 on a ship with advanced communications equipment. After the war, he opened up his own radio repair shop, and has almost never missed a day of work (except for that case of the flu in the 70’s). Anyway, he turned 99 this past October, and still works 3 days a week! So, Troy took the “Cinderella Story” to Paul. Paul smiled at him and with that sparkle in his eye he said, “That there is a radio!” He always makes my husband laugh! Well he took the Cinderella Story and worked on it till it was fixed on the inside! Meanwhile, Troy was gently cleaning and repairing the outside, a few of the scratches too deep to repair, but Troy says “That’s ok, its part of the patina now, part of the story of this radio.”  One day several months later, I came home from work and Troy had a surprise for me. The radio was done!

She was not only beautiful on the outside, but now she could play music and do exactly what she was made to do, for a true master had worked on her inside! Restoration stories are so inspiring to me!

Just like the Patriots in the Superbowl, and just like this Cinderella Story radio, there is hope for every person on this planet, no matter what you have been through. Hope for a victory… hope to be purposeful, and creative and joyful. Some people have tremendous hurts and  maybe have given up on their dreams, and are simply existing. But those dreams are in your heart for a reason, and oh how wonderful to begin to breath new life into them! I know you may have scars like this old radio, but the scars are just one part of a complicated, beautiful, intelligent and fascinating you! Choosing to live life, really embracing it is a gift you are worthy of, even if you have to take some time to mend on the inside and maybe if you want to, fix up the outside (working on both of those myself!).

I really do believe there can be amazing days ahead for all of us, if we just believe it. It may not look exactly like we thought it would but it also could be so much more than we ever dreamed possible!

Have a great Monday!

Love Always,

Amy