Stephanie Martin-Smith
Soul Purpose

I am always amazed and intrigued when a string of events lead me to a certain place and time, especially when I feel the hair stand up on the back of my neck. That’s usually when I think it’s a moment to take note of, just like this past week.

I received a call asking to do some music for Heartburn Day, taking place this Saturday. I was in a hurry when the call came in as I was taking the boys for a haircut in Stratford to my friend’s shop. We discussed details quickly and I confirmed my calendar was clear that day.

She explained that it was very interesting how she had gotten my name – through my friend from the hair shop, the one that I was on my way to see. Her mom had booked her in for a haircut with my friend because she thought they had so much in common. During that appointment, my friend was telling her about my CD and the song I wrote for her. After she said that, a song of mine began playing on the radio, which is a very rare event! My friend gave her one of my CDs, which she enjoyed and made her think of me when they had a last minute cancellation for the event …

Since I was in a hurry, I hadn’t yet put everything together. I thought, “I’m sure I have some affiliation with the event and it has touched my life in some way.”

Then I got to thinking what organization hosted the event, digging into memory banks about the event and its affiliations. I knew Heartburn Day has been a huge event in Stratford for many years, with the most amazing chili samples, from restaurants and service clubs from the area and it had to do with the Heart and Stroke Association.

It was like a little light flicked on in my brain (another rare event). Of course I had a connection to this event … my dad died of a stroke at the age of 57. How long ago was it? I started my mental calculation, while getting ready to leave the office and pick up the kids for their hair cuts.

Had it really been 13 years? Lucas was only three months old then. He was born in November and my dad passed away early the next year. I thought about the weather and Feb. 7. It always seems stormy and of course I know this because that is the date that my dad passed away and that’s the date that I just booked in. And that’s when the hair stood up on the back of my neck…what are the odds?

A lot of small random events lead to this one bigger event, maybe it’s all just about taking time to remember that which seems to get lost with time. My dad once told me when I sang Wind Beneath My Wings all the hair stood up on the back of his neck. I think that would be a good song to sing this Saturday in his memory!