A friend was recently injured in a
terrible motor vehicle accident. She broke many bones and had severe
lacerations. She incurred about seven separate major injuries, any one of which
would have caused me to lock myself in a dungeon of intense self-pity.
After spending many days in ICU and
enduring multiple surgeries, my friend finally was transferred from the
hospital to a rehab facility to begin the painful and tedious recovery process.
I went to visit her in the rehab facility, thinking that maybe I could cheer
her up. Well, after spending an hour with her, the one who got cheered up was
me.
L. is known by just about everyone who
is involved with church music in Litchfield County. She’s a choir director at a
local parish and probably the most spectacular soprano voice this side of Broadway.
If you’ve ever been to a Sunday Mass or a funeral or wedding during the last
couple decades and found yourself whispering, “Whoa, who is that singing?!” it
probably was L.
When I visited her, she could tell
right away that I’m not only tone-deaf in our choir, but also tone-deaf
regarding bed-side manners. My first statement was, “Um, so what’s new?”
(Immediately, a sarcastic little voice in the back of my head began chirping at
me. “Oh, brilliant question, Bill,” it said. “What do you THINK is new with
her? How late did you stay up last night coming up with that gem?”)
L. smiled and politely replied, “Oh, a
lot is new since the last time I saw you.”
As it turned out, we ended up having a
lovely chat, and I only said maybe five or six additional dumb comments. (The
sarcastic voice finally gave up, realizing that I’m a lost cause.) What struck
me most about our conversation was her profound sense of gratitude. She was
very grateful that she’s alive. From what I hear, many of the amazing medical
professionals who worked feverishly after the accident to save her life were
pleasantly surprised that she did indeed survive. It was that close.
She also expressed her sincere
gratitude toward her husband and children and parents, and many other relatives
and friends, all of whom dropped everything the moment they heard the news and
offered to help out. There wasn’t a hint of self-pity or “Why me?” in her
voice. She was genuinely overwhelmed by the outpouring of support and concern
by so many people.
During our conversation, we agreed
that far too many people nowadays are not grateful for all the blessings they
have. Some folks dwell obsessively on the relatively minor problems in their
lives. Others are never satisfied with what they have and covet whatever they
don’t have. Often, as soon as the particular item is acquired, it is promptly
forgotten as a new object of desire takes its place.
So, in our one-hour conversation, we
basically solved all of the world’s problems. OK, maybe not. But we did — or I
should say, she did — make it clear that happiness is not based on external
circumstances beyond our control. It is instead based on our internal attitude:
being grateful for the numerous blessings we have and thankful for the
opportunity to experience God’s amazing gift of life.
I continue to pray for a speedy
recovery for my friend L. (And feel free to offer up petitions for this
faithful sister in Christ.) When I visit her I’ll try to minimize the awkward
comments. But I have to offer profound thanks to her for reminding me that
gratitude is the key to serenity. She really cheered me up, and I am grateful
for friends like her.
No comments:
Post a Comment