A chance meeting?
The story of how we met me&dee and decided to strike up a partnership with this wonderful charity comes under the category of the 'mystery of life.'
Call it chance, call it fate, call it the intelligence of life. Whatever you call it, it sure works in mysterious ways. How a partnership between us and a wonderful charity called me&dee came into being surely fits into the category of the ‘mystery of life’.
On a Sunday morning two couples at the very last minute decided to have breakfast at a favourite coffee shop in Ticknall. Those two couples sat at a table next to each other. Those two couples struck up a conversation. Ash and I were one of those two couples, and Maria Hanson and Mark Harrison were the other.
Ash and I had watched as they had price-marked a mixed array of items while they were at their table. We’d noticed how low the prices were and I’d wondered how on earth they would make a profit. We had finished breakfast and were enjoying a cup of coffee when Maria, who had long blonde hair with a gentle curl in it, stretched over and touched my arm. “Would you mind if I come the other side of you so that I can stock up my shelves?” She said
We were sitting in front of the large shop front window. The sun was warm on my back as I sat facing Ash, my husband and business partner, across the small oak table. I was admiring the silver in his salt and pepper hair as it caught the sun. The aroma of my latte tickled my nose and I could still taste the creaminess of the haddock and scrambled eggs I’d eaten for breakfast. Next to my full coffee cup and empty plate was a tiny silver guardian angel key ring, that I’d planned to buy as a gift for a friend of mine. The buzz of chatter in the place was like bumble bees flying from flower to flower in the background.
Maria was wearing a floral dress, but it was a pale pink and blue, ribbon shaped brooch she wore, that had caught my attention. Mark was wearing a black T-shirt with an emblem on the left side of his chest. It was later that I found out that the emblem matched the brooch and was the logo for their charity, me&dee. A pair of crutches were leaning on the window sill beside Maria’s chair.
“Only the owners let me sell some stuff here for my charity.” Maria said.
Being nosy, I asked what the charity was and that, as they say, was that! Maria told us a little about the story of her illness, her cousin Delia’s illness and subsequent death and how her experience of both had shaped her resolve to do something to help others in difficult situations. This resulted in her creating the charity that she called me&dee. Me and Dee were their pet names for each other. The intention had been for her cousin, Delia, to be involved but sadly that was not meant to be.
Help to create precious memories
Maria told us about the holidays they arrange for people in life shortening situations. She told us about some of the families and individuals that they have helped. She told us about how she creates opportunities for them to have time to be together with their families to create precious memories.
Ash and I were both so moved, by her story, by her passion, and by the wonderful work that Maria and Mark do through the charity. Both of us were full to the brim with emotion. We both knew what the other was thinking without having to discuss it. This was a charity that we wanted to get involved with. We wanted to do more than just make a donation.
Two weeks later we had another meeting with Maria and Mark. This time we arranged it rather than relying on the intelligence of life. We talked about our ideas and shook hands on a new partnership.