Even Though ...

His grip was strong and firm as he reached across the table and shook my hand, and his eyes brimmed with tears. I wasn't surprised by the emotion he displayed, but I was more than a bit stunned by the quickness of his response to the statement I had just made.

"I want you to promise me that if you're ever in that dark place again, you'll call me. I'll come get you and take you to a doctor who'll help you. I'm worried about you, my friend."

He showed me the scars from the three incisions made by surgeons to repair his broken femur, the result of a recent suicide attempt. He looked deeply into my eyes as he recounted the events which led him to that day a couple of months ago. He held my hand as he softly said, "I promise, Terrie ... I promise I will call." I hugged him tightly when I had to say goodbye, and instinctively did what I often did with my own sons when they were younger ... I gently tousled his hair and said, "You have a good heart and you're a good man ... it'll be okay ... it will be better ... I promise."

I spent a large portion of my weekend with this young man ... even though my yard looks like a jungle and will be a pain to mow tomorrow evening ... even though I'm just now doing laundry so that I have clean undies to wear ... even though there are two pouting dogs in my house because I didn't get home in time to take them for a walk ... and a whole stack of other "even though" things I needed to do this weekend. And you know what? If I could do my entire weekend over again, I wouldn't change one moment ... not one single moment, friends ... not one single moment.

Don't let your "even though" things keep you from doing what you need to do ... care. The "even thoughs" will be there tomorrow ... the person who needs to know someone cares may not be. Go ahead and think on that one ... think on that one a really long time, and then reach across the table ... yep ... go ahead and think on that one for a really long time, too.

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