Don't Be So Quick to Judge or Act
Girl's Share Time - Food for Thought:
Was talking to a friend on MSN while at work and it inspired me to be "deep" for a short moment. We're known for being rude & crude on this board, but sometimes outside of RS there are real people dealing with real issues. These aren't fake email stories, these are true stories.
My Mother works a lot with the community and with troubled individuals on a daily basis. I use to make fun of my Mother for her choice in life, thinking she could have done something else to make more money. I never understood why she called it "fulfilling or life-learning" when I was younger. But here are 3 stories:
1. A few years ago my Mother had met a couple who lost their sons in a boating accident. One son was in his late teens, the other was in his mid-20's. The couple felt like they had nothing left, they had just come back from burying one of their sons and the other son's body was still missing, they didn't know if he was alive or not. The couple left to get their car and found it keyed and windows were smashed and their emblem taken.
Point: We're always so quick to do or say something to others to "have a good time" never knowing that the people you do it too could possibly dealing with other shit.
Someone once came in with a family member, this family member worked graveyard shifts and usually after their shift, they grab a bite to eat with a friend. Unfortunately these people were caught in a shooting that night and witnessed people getting gunned down like rag dolls and this person's friend was also gunned down for being there at the wrong place at the wrong time. This person's whole life changed due to that incident, they couldn't drive for a few months due to anxiety attacks, couldn't work, couldn't socialize with people. They are able to drive but they're more anxious and careful, even when they park because they're doubting themselves or constantly looking over their shoulders. The doctor has told this person to resume back into normal life or else they'll never get over their fears.
Point: We bitch about people a lot, we make fun of them, we get pissed off at them, be they slow drivers, people that don't speak English, the guy who talks too loud on his cell phone on the bus. Cut them some slack, do you know what they're going through?
A young lady (we'll call her Lucy) had walked in looking around, my Mother smiled and said introduced herself and walked off. Soon Lucy had approached my Mother asking her a question and it turned into a few hours. Turns out Lucy was disowned by her family months prior because she met a guy that her parents didn't like. She ended up moving in with this guy and it turned out he was abusive and super possessive. He didn't let her out, nor work. She had lost her job, had no more money and she had found out her boyfriend was cheating on her. She had decided to kill herself. She went to take a walk and say her goodbyes to the world when she walked past the building that my Mother works in. Lucy had actually never paid much attention to the building until that day, so she walked in thinking she'll look around. She was actually planning on leaving when my Mother had walked up to her with a smile that Lucy had described as "warm as sunshine." In that moment Lucy felt the smallest twinge of unsureness about her decision to kill herself and she felt the urge to talk to someone so she had approached my Mother with some random question. Luckily my Mother was super friendly and they were able to strike up conversation which lead Lucy into opening up. She never told my Mother that she planned on killing herself that day. Apparently was given a sense of hope and motivation to change her life. She came back a month later and told my Mother "If it wasn't for the hello and smile you gave me, I would have been dead. Thank you. You saved my life."
Point: Sometimes the smallest acts of kindness has the greatest impact.
Summary: Think twice before you judge people, make fun of them or make certain comments. We tend to turn a blind eye to others, but when it happens to ourselves suddenly the world is falling apart. Slow down. Put yourself in other peoples' shoes. | 