The Other Foot
Went to a job today where the contractor I was checking in on was installing an elevator in a building. I jumped into the conversation late as the elevator maintenance man was checking the emergency controls. The discussion seemed a little odd as one man seemed awfully concerned with how the alarm button could be reached.
"It's right there," I said. "Who could NOT reach it?"
"The guy who will be using this elevator doesn't have any arms," the man said. "He was in an accident."
"Oh, geez," I said, feeling like a complete ass.
Twenty minutes later I was on my way to another site but I couldn't stop thinking about that poor guy. Talk about sucking it up and toughing it out.
I was greeted by a group of guys working for a roofing contractor. Each guy asked me about my back and urged me to tell them about the accident on the Skyway. All but one guy. He was sort of sitting off to one side. I tried to give the comical version of the story, shrugging off the scary aspects of it.
"Remember that accident on Grand Island a couple of months back?" the young guy said.
I didn't want the conversation to go on. I remembered the accident and the horrific results.
"I lost my girl and my baby," he said. "It doesn't take more than a blink of an eye."
My heart was in my throat. The young man wanted to talk. The other guy's sort of shuffled away, but I stood listening, knowing that horrible feeling of just wanting to share for a minute.
His eyes were filled with tears as he told me about his girl and their son.
We spent another ten minutes or so just sharing grief. For the first time in a year, the shoe was on the other foot.
"Don't let the bad days run back-to-back-to-back," I said. "And I know that ain't easy, but praying, hanging with those that love you and Grey Goose helps."
"Captain Morgan has been picking me up every so often," he said.
Guys on construction sites don't hug, and we certainly didn't, but in just ten minutes of time, we shared grief, and I felt so much for him.
His life is just starting. His dreams were fresh, and he felt as if he were on a certain path.
And now it's a whole new path, and it's filled with shadows and doubt.
I added a couple of more people to pray for today.
"It's right there," I said. "Who could NOT reach it?"
"The guy who will be using this elevator doesn't have any arms," the man said. "He was in an accident."
"Oh, geez," I said, feeling like a complete ass.
Twenty minutes later I was on my way to another site but I couldn't stop thinking about that poor guy. Talk about sucking it up and toughing it out.
I was greeted by a group of guys working for a roofing contractor. Each guy asked me about my back and urged me to tell them about the accident on the Skyway. All but one guy. He was sort of sitting off to one side. I tried to give the comical version of the story, shrugging off the scary aspects of it.
"Remember that accident on Grand Island a couple of months back?" the young guy said.
I didn't want the conversation to go on. I remembered the accident and the horrific results.
"I lost my girl and my baby," he said. "It doesn't take more than a blink of an eye."
My heart was in my throat. The young man wanted to talk. The other guy's sort of shuffled away, but I stood listening, knowing that horrible feeling of just wanting to share for a minute.
His eyes were filled with tears as he told me about his girl and their son.
We spent another ten minutes or so just sharing grief. For the first time in a year, the shoe was on the other foot.
"Don't let the bad days run back-to-back-to-back," I said. "And I know that ain't easy, but praying, hanging with those that love you and Grey Goose helps."
"Captain Morgan has been picking me up every so often," he said.
Guys on construction sites don't hug, and we certainly didn't, but in just ten minutes of time, we shared grief, and I felt so much for him.
His life is just starting. His dreams were fresh, and he felt as if he were on a certain path.
And now it's a whole new path, and it's filled with shadows and doubt.
I added a couple of more people to pray for today.
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