My buddy Jerry Brewer has a book coming out called Gloria's Miracle, all about the fabulous Gloria Strauss. I was helping him set up the facebook group for it yesterday, and he asked me to start a discussion called "What Gloria means to me." Now, I could go on and on, but this is what I came up with to jump start the discussion.
What does Gloria mean to me? The more applicable question would be what DOESN’T Gloria mean to me!
I met the Strauss family because we both went to the same church. I would join other church members in bringing over meals once Gloria was diagnosed, and started babysitting for them. I remember I was babysitting one night when Kristen and Doug had to go out and Gloria has been at Children’s for a minor procedure. Gloria was in pain, so she was just hanging out on a chair in the family room. I was trying to get her younger brothers to sleep, but they were having none of it. They told me that they would only go to sleep if Gloria put them to sleep. I went to the family room to check on Glow and she asked how the boys were doing. I told her that they would only go to sleep if she put them to bed. Even though she was in pain, she got up out of her chair and put them to sleep. That was one instance of Gloria’s superwoman strength and love for her family that I will always remember.
In 2005 when I was applying for colleges, I had my sights set on the private, Jesuit school in Seattle, Seattle University. The personal essay required upon application for admission was to be written in concordance with the university’s Jesuit values of making a positive change in the world. Naturally, Gloria was the first example that came to my mind. I wrote my essay on how much Gloria has inspired me by always wanting to make the world a better place.
A few weeks later, I received my acceptance letter.
Gloria taught me how to believe. She showed me that God is everywhere, and that anything is possible through Him. When Gloria went into her coma in August of 2007, I was at Children’s almost daily. On one instance, it was just Doug and me there, and he had to leave to go check on the family. He asked me to stay by her side, and I was more than happy to. I held her hand and prayed the rosary out loud. (Gloria said that praying the rosary was the only time that she didn’t feel any pain.) While praying the rosary, I SWEAR that I felt Gloria squeeze my hand. Even though she was in a coma, I know that she was still there, fighting for her life. I will never forget that special time that I got to spend privately with this future saint.
Watching Gloria come out of her coma and return to praying for her healing, I was inspired beyond words. Here was this tiny body, wracked with cancer. She could have cried. She could have given up. She could have complained. But that wasn’t Gloria. Gloria kept her eyes on God and continued to pray. She played with her siblings, and flashed that famous Glow smile to people who came to visit her. Through all of this, the cancer was growing and causing her so much pain. She was tired, but she never gave up.
After she gained her heavenly angel wings, Gloria taught me still another lesson: she made heaven real. I had thought about heaven, but it was always an abstract concept. Sure, it existed….Right? But once Gloria left our world and entered the kingdom of God, I KNEW that heaven was real. How? Because Gloria was a saint on earth, and she belonged in a place that was worthy of her holy presence. I knew that she was dancing in heaven, free of pain and painting everything her signature sparkly pink.
I could go on and on about what Gloria means to me, but I want to hear from YOU! What does Gloria mean to you?
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