That Everyone Whom You Will Meet On This Day ...

I had planned to post a different entry this evening, but something happened that made me decide that post should wait until tomorrow. Near the end of my day at work, one of my young co-workers messaged me and asked if I could meet with him for a few minutes. I said sure and walked upstairs to the conference room ... yes, that conference room. He was already in the room waiting for me, and as I closed the door behind me, he jumped up from the chair he was precariously perched upon and hugged me as tears flowed down his cheeks and onto the shoulder of my sweater. I'm not sure how long we stood there, the young man trembling as he cried and me wondering what I should say or what I should do, while at the same time knowing that I just needed to be there for him ... just be there for him.

When he eventually stepped back and crumbled into the chair behind him, I couldn't help but think that he must be close to the age of my children. His hands were shaking as he tried to wipe the tears from his eyes, only to have them quickly fill again and spill down his face. I sat down and scooted close to him, wishing I could take the pain from his young eyes and somehow ease his troubled heart. My mind raced from one question to another as I tried to figure out what could possibly be causing such emotion in him, yet I somehow knew that I needed to remain silent and wait until the young man was ready to talk. And when he finally did speak ... I was completely unprepared for the words he said.

"I'm sorry, Terrie. I'm so sorry. I miss my mom so much. You're like everybody's mom here. I miss my mom, Terrie. I miss her so much."

I think I said something really profound like, "Oh, honey, don't be sorry. You go ahead and cry all you need to," feeling my own tears spring to my eyes and threaten to overflow the tiny dams of the eyelids that tentatively kept them contained. He didn't tell me any details about his mother, and I didn't ask ... I don't know if she lives far away or if she is still living or if they had a fight or if ... or if ... or if. He didn't need to reveal details to me ... he did, however, need a mom's shoulder to cry on, a mom's heart to feel his sorrow, a mom's voice to assure him of his worth and value to so many.

Needless to say, the young man has been on my heart all evening and I'm sure he'll be there for a long while to come. As I drove home in the darkness in bumper-to-bumper traffic, I said aloud to the silence of my car, "There's something about that conference room ... something really special about that room." I thought about last year when I sat in that same room sobbing until I could barely breathe ... oh, you bet I thought about the kindness that was extended to me in that room that day ... you bet I did. Tears filled my eyes once more as I realized all over again the magnitude, the sheer magnitude, of God's divine plan and purpose when He orchestrated the events of that day. And today ... today He gave me the enormous blessing of paying it forward ... of sitting in the same place and paying forward the kindness that was extended to me. 

I think the best way to close this post is by sharing some words from a video project called "Happiness Revealed" by Louie Schwartzberg. The following words are those of an elderly gentleman sharing his thoughts about blessings and gratitude ... I hope his words touch your heart the way they touched mine. 

"And so I wish you that you will open your heart to all these blessings, and let them flow through you, that everyone whom you will meet on this day will be blessed by you, just by your eyes, by your smile, by your touch, just by your presence. Let the gratefulness overflow into blessing all around you, and then it will really be a good day."