Old hat, new hat…
the Power of Love On Purpose
Can the Power of Love be carried through an old worn out hat on purpose and a package returned to sender?
It seemed like a crazy question. Yet, there was the package I tried to send to Marau, Brazil on August 31, 2022, sitting on my kitchen counter. After a journey that took it to Rio De Janeiro, it was unceremoniously returned to me with a “Return to sender” label, arriving back in Denver, Colorado a grueling 4 1/2 months later.
Sending those hats to my dear friend, Maximiliana (Maxi) meant something to me, yet I didn’t know what or why. I left them on the counter for months without touching or moving them.
When I was visiting her in June of 2021, I gave her one of my hats on a whim. She made the hat look good, real good in my eyes.
From 5,043 miles away I watched as she wore and cherished that one hat through the thick and thin of her life. She took that hat to the beach, to work, to see her family, and on her walks in the sun and rain of Brazil. Her love for the hat and the idea of living on purpose shined through her eyes and smile. Quite simply, she wore that hat all the time.
I watched the hat fade and become weathered.
That same hat has gone from black to almost white (light gray). She even resewed the RED Dot back on by hand.
Her adoration for the hat touched and opened my heart. So I boxed up three new rebranded hats and shipped them out. They came back to me and as I saw them sitting on my counter, I felt empty she hadn’t received them. Her having them had some meaning. I had thoughts of shipping them again, yet never did. I thought many times, “I may never see Maxi again.” But there were the hats.
In November of last year, amidst struggling to recover from a head-on auto collision and knowing of the recent ups and downs in Maxi’s life, I decided to deliver the hats by hand.
On December 17th, 2023 at 7:42 am, she opened the same box, with me present. I traded the three new hats for her old hat and the chance to see her smile with such innocence, gratitude, and faith. By then the box of hats had traveled over 27,000 miles, having never been opened, and yet they brought the Power of Love to life in her smile and beauty.
How is Love transmitted?
Old hat, new hat, hand delivery.
A bridge over many lands and oceans of water.
I have heard that Love works in mysterious ways.
To receive, express, and share Love On Purpose… over 2½ years. Maybe it is one of Love’s hat tricks.
If you find yourself with questions, I encourage you to reach out. The journey to living On Purpose is 100% possible. Let me help you start your path forward.