Perspective

Perspective....the word clunked me on the head a number of times last week. Last Tuesday I attended a presentation called "The Common Ground of Grief". This story was shared during the evening...

A woman was grieving the loss of her husband. He had been diagnosed with cancer months earlier. Due to his disease she had a chair custom made to physically support and comfort him during his illness. When the chair arrived she positioned it so he was by a window able to enjoy the outside as much as he could, and still be in her site. He sat in the chair daily, thankful for its ability to make things a little more bearable.

Now two months later, the chair sat empty. As the woman was mourning the loss of her husband to a friend, she complained and agonized over the fact that he only used the chair for two months. She seemed to be stuck on the fact that he did not have the chance to use it longer as she had wished.

After she explained her dismay a few times over her friend replied "I understand you are disappointed that he only used the chair for a couple of months, but I see it differently....I see that the chair you gave him, the one that supported him and gave him comfort, the one you gave him to share your love and compassion for him... he had that chair, that gift, not just for two months, but he for the rest of his life."



Perspective....The way we look at things can make such a difference.