Everyone has a story
It’s a cold and wintry day. The last half inch of coffee in the mug has grown cold. Here in the quiet office, I remember it as though it was yesterday…
Around me, the hustle and bustle in this, my favorite place to create, begins to escalate as the sky lightens just outside the plate-glass window. I look up. There comes a small group of three. I see them often here, these three gentlemen in their plain T-shirts printed with the name of their business. I wonder about them and their ties. A multigenerational trio with a grandfather, perhaps, and a son and grandson?
It’s evident that the young man has Down syndrome. I watch their respectful and fond interactions. I smile when he taps the elderly gentleman on the shoulder, waiting for, and receiving, a warm acknowledgement. I laugh out loud as he slips behind the man, positioning himself perfectly between his shoulder blades, sparking another smile when the gentleman turns around and–whoops! There he is.
I return a smile and a wave from a local businessman and friend. Together with his wife and sons, he owns and operates a flooring store nearby. When their business was destroyed some years ago, they testified to God’s goodness and opened for business again. Knowing that they pray for area merchants to prosper has inspired me to do the same.
The cheerful barista behind the counter has a story, too. She’s a single mother with a darling little boy. Recently, she started college classes. Her dream, I know, is to have a coffee shop of her own someday. I hope she succeeds.
Over there are two more area businessmen, and joining the line at the counter is an advertising/marketing fellow who is also a DJ for the local Christian radio station. He’s using his talents, too.
Here comes a mother who lost her beautiful, blond daughter in a fiery crash. A son was driving. Emergency responders still talk about the awful sights and sounds from that day. The pain she carries is unimaginable. Unspeakable. I watch her pass by.
In my heart, a refrain begins. “Everyone has a story.”
********
That was years ago. As I sat in the coffee shop that day and watched humanity’s parade, something came to life inside me. As though a veil had been lifted from my eyes, I suddenly saw what lay behind each face. Warmth and happiness. Searing loss. The hopes and dreams hidden within the heart. I saw them all.
Fast forward, now, to this week. Word has come of a heartbreaking loss. When I saw her name, I was instantly transported to a high-school gym where, once more, I “saw” it.
It was half time. On the hardwood floor below, they gathered for a very special show. Tiny cheerleaders to bigger ones, from elementary to junior high, they stepped out onto the court to join their role models—the high-school cheerleaders. One by one, carrying pom poms, they got in line, and there she came.
“She” was a precious girl in my son’s class. Over the years, I had watched as a congenital condition took its toll on her body. Where once she had walked on her own two legs, she was now confined to a wheelchair. Seeing her, my throat swelled tight as she was wheeled in and placed beside her peers.
As the others bounced and romped through the lively routine, she smiled happily from her place in the chair, her countenance suffused with joy. Watching her, I felt my heart constrict at the sight of the girl with a cheerleader’s heart in a body that was fragile and weak.
Now, she’s moved to heaven where her story doesn’t end. It’s just begun.
“Everyone has a story.” Understanding this simple, yet profound truth is transformational. It can (and should) change the way we live. No matter what the outer façade may show, every soul carries secret pain, secret longings, and burdens hidden to the naked eye.
With this in mind, we can move through our lives with greater patience, more understanding, and deeper compassion for the people we meet. It will at least give us pause before we react to the bristles that others may carry.
“Every heart longs for love.” This is also true, and once you really grasp it, it will explain so many things. A silent, shrinking demeanor can mask a longing to be seen. A rowdy, belligerent affect may be asking you to prove it, daring you, even. And behind the brightest smile, there can lurk a lonely ache, even in the midst of a crowd.
According to Catherine McKenzie, “They say that if a butterfly flaps its wings in the Amazonian rainforest, it can change the weather half a world away.” This is known as chaos theory, or the butterfly effect. As a skipping stone casts ripples atop the surface of a pond, just so the smallest interaction can begin a wild-spreading cascade of events. For good or ill, our choices matter.
In this holiday season, let us pray for the grace to see our fellow citizens with clear eyes and loving hearts. Everyone, after all, has a story, and every heart (including yours) longs for love.
This essay was first published on The Daily BS on December 14, 2024.