One of Those Things
Kathy came home from work with a story.
That, in and of itself, is not news.
The other day, Jake needed Kathy to set him up with Apple News so this was the deal he made:
"I'll sit and listen to your stories and I'll participate! You can talk as long as you'd like and I'll give you feedback!"
I thought that the offer was funny, but Kathy had other ideas.
She took the deal!
So she began telling a story of a co-worker mentioning something about someone and Jake sat there, and actually did participate.
"Are we still talking about Wanda here?" he asked at one point.
I laughed.
"Now why would she say that?" he asked at another junction.
And Kathy kept talking. Right through his pointed questions and my laughter.
But the other day, Kathy's first story stopped me in my tracks. She told me of a co-worker who lost her husband, suddenly.
At 31 years of age!
A heart problem caused him to collapse...
...and die.
"Oh God!"
The man was in good physical shape.
It was just one of those things.
A healthy man stricken.
A family left to pick up the pieces.
Hundreds, thousands of people, left wondering...
...Why?
Kathy showed me a photo of the couple.
She wondered about how fragile life is.
I wondered with her.
You're going about your day...
...and in a second.
One simple, twisted, earth-shattering second.
Everything changes forever.
"That poor family," was all I could coax out.
The story cast a shadow over all we did all week long.
The long hours.
The work.
The overall plan to do this or that...
...soon.
Soon doesn't always get here.
The moment we're in is all that we are promised.
You hear it all the time.
Show your love.
Feel everything.
Because one of those things...
...happens.
That, in and of itself, is not news.
The other day, Jake needed Kathy to set him up with Apple News so this was the deal he made:
"I'll sit and listen to your stories and I'll participate! You can talk as long as you'd like and I'll give you feedback!"
I thought that the offer was funny, but Kathy had other ideas.
She took the deal!
So she began telling a story of a co-worker mentioning something about someone and Jake sat there, and actually did participate.
"Are we still talking about Wanda here?" he asked at one point.
I laughed.
"Now why would she say that?" he asked at another junction.
And Kathy kept talking. Right through his pointed questions and my laughter.
But the other day, Kathy's first story stopped me in my tracks. She told me of a co-worker who lost her husband, suddenly.
At 31 years of age!
A heart problem caused him to collapse...
...and die.
"Oh God!"
The man was in good physical shape.
It was just one of those things.
A healthy man stricken.
A family left to pick up the pieces.
Hundreds, thousands of people, left wondering...
...Why?
Kathy showed me a photo of the couple.
She wondered about how fragile life is.
I wondered with her.
You're going about your day...
...and in a second.
One simple, twisted, earth-shattering second.
Everything changes forever.
"That poor family," was all I could coax out.
The story cast a shadow over all we did all week long.
The long hours.
The work.
The overall plan to do this or that...
...soon.
Soon doesn't always get here.
The moment we're in is all that we are promised.
You hear it all the time.
Show your love.
Feel everything.
Because one of those things...
...happens.
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