i talked to a lady named Grace today. she wasn't pleasant, she wasn't happy. she was sadder than i think i have ever been. she told me her woes; how she has forgotten how to cook the dishes she loves to feed her husband, the fact that she has not seen the outside of her house on an occasion other than an emergency visit to the hospital, and that she had spent months in a depressed state due to the fact that she had lost one of her breasts to cancer. Grace is 70. she wakes only to take medicine, medicine that makes her drowsy and bitter. her days are perpetually spent in front of a television, one that has proven to be more of a foe than friend. she is a diabetic now and is avoided by her children who do not come to chat as often as they used to. Grace wept three separate times during our conversation and i searched for something comforting to offer her. i heard her husband in the back ground asking me to call more often. i don't think many people like to listen to Grace when she speaks. i will be quite honest, it isn't easy to listen to people gripe everyday and then stumble upon a marathon griper and fight the urge to hang up on them. i didn't hang up on Grace, after the first seven minutes of her monologue i knew she needed me to listen.
i think about the things in my life that cause me pain. if i were to take those things, give them form and set them up next to Grace's problems mine would pale in comparison. sometimes i lose sight of how grateful i should be for what i do have, how blessed my life is and that i have been given this opportunity during this season of my life to be the listener.
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Good stuff, danielle. I have always had a difficult time putting things into perspective, especially when it comes to life's problems. But once in a while someone or something happens directly in front of me that gives me a jolt, like your conversation with Grace. Last night I was driving home from work and the electronic lights that usually tell people traffic conditions were issuing an Amber Alert for a 14 year old girl who was kidnapped in a parking lot. I couldn't get it out of my mind how blessed my life is, and how often I think it is torturous.
ReplyDeleteThanks for this, hope to see you guys soon!!