The 'C' Word... Cuts Like a Knife! I exchanged some thoughts with a colleague today regarding recent cutbacks being made by one of our local Title companies. The economy has forced many large and small companies to let go of valuable employees in order to cut costs and survive this ongoing economic crisis. It's never easy to say goodbye to associates who have become trusted colleagues and friends. The dreaded 'C' word can have far reaching effects.
The 'C' word... has other meanings too. While vacationing in LA a few weeks ago, I called a dear friend, who I hadn't seen in awhile, to go to breakfast. We agreed to meet at 9am at one of our favorite restaurants. Within minutes of arriving, I got a call from her daughter, saying her mom had fallen in the backyard, had split her chin open and was knocked unconscious for a few minutes. She needed to go to the hospital for stitches. Her daughter decided to join us for breakfast in her mom's place. Within 20 minutes, a lovely woman walked through the door with a giant grin and a bandaged chin.
My reaction... Oh My God! Why was my friend coming to breakfast when she should've been on her way to the hospital? She said she didn't want to miss seeing me and she promised to go after breakfast. I WAS FLOORED! This is a very dear friend that I see once or twice a year. We raised our children together from the time they were born... same preschools, same babysitter, same private schools, same sports, etc. Twenty-nine years of enduring friendship. This is also a very dear friend who's been fighting the 'C' word... Cancer.
There's something quite numbing, shocking, debilitating... and a whole host of other adjectives that describe what cancer does to the human mind and body. And while cancer's quest is to rob and steal from anyone in its path, it is reduced to a powerless annoyance when met by the mighty human spirit. I'm always truly amazed by people who possess super human strength when faced with traumatic circumstances. My friend, Chris Siegwart, is one of those people. I was so floored by her resiliency that day that I was moved to tears. And even as her chin bled through the bandage while we continued to chat through breakfast, she didn't even flinch. She was so determined not to let anything steal her happiness or rob her of her joy of living in the moment. That's a Wow!
Life's lessons come to us in many forms.... from corporate cutbacks to split chins to cancer. It's what we do with those lessons that change us. We can choose to let the circumstances of life cut like a knife, or we can choose to have the courage to rise above them like a champion. What crisis are you facing today... and what 'C' word will you choose?
You're a Champion Chris... Keep your chin up Sweetie... I love You!
