the Power of a few words

 I was lost in my busyness...too busy to look up from my work.  A shadow was growing larger and someone had invaded my office space.  Their body blocked the light coming in from the hallway and I couldn't focus in at first.

"I came to ask how your daughter is doing?" said the man. It was Rob, a man with a very interesting story and journey of his own...from working in our warehouse to now working in customer service.  He's someone who is always cool and always friendly and we've been friends since I was first introduced to him.  He has a very positive outlook on life and it pervades outwardly to others.

I looked around, stopped pounding the computer keyboard and started to tell him how we've had some challenges and issues with my daughter with anxiety and depression and then I had to stop.  You see, Rob found out a few months back his beautiful 16 tear old daughter has brain cancer.

He has had to find the strength to be a rock from first shocking diagnosis to treatments of chemo at a hospital center in Memphis.  He would log his work shift, turn around and drive the 3-4 hrs run to be with her...his little girl and his wife, only to run back as daybreak approached to be back for work and do it all again. He has had to manage the details of caring for his other children.

Recently his family found out that the chemo had shrunk the cancer to half it's original size and so they operated and got about 80% of the tumor.  They are continuing chemo and praying for her daily. This has been an astounding turn around from the bleak original diagnosis and yet--still there is far more of a difficult journey to endeavor.

In light of Rob's challenges and struggles my own situation looked like nothing.  Here was a man putting aside his own fears and struggles and coming halfway around the building just to ask me how my daughter was doing.

I was floored that someone could do that--and set their own struggles aside.  I have faith...and I say that I trust God for the outcome...and here was someone showing me how that's done.

It was a short interaction with a big lesson on faith.  I think rather than beating myself up on this one I'll take this lesson and try to pass it on. Because I know Rob's story and everything he's been going through--it makes this an inspiring act of selflessness and empathy I won't soon forget.