The True Story

There are a lot of things in life that can be annoying. Taxes, gas prices, and people for example. But maybe we wouldn’t get so annoyed with people if we had more information… because it seems to me… everyone has a story.

For three weeks now our street has been under construction. Since I can’t drive on our street, I can’t drive home. Which means I typically have to park blocks away and carry heavy groceries and all the stuff that we need back to our house. Talk about annoying!

So last week, there I am carrying groceries and some of my tools down the road when I see a car parked in front of the cones that block off our street. The car is also blocking my way, so I figure it’s some inconsiderate idiot that’s confused by the road block. Instead, I see it’s an older woman behind the wheel. So I ask her if she needs help. She explains to me that she is an 88 year old widow who lives alone and has trouble walking. She said the construction crew put in a special ramp at her house so she could pull into her driveway and they were supposed to move the cones for her, but they must have forgotten. Now I feel like the idiot! So I offered to move the cones for her and then put them back. She was sweet and super thankful and reminded me of my Mom who passed away at 85. I’ll bet at 88 she has a lot of stories she could share if someone would take the time to listen.

Also last week, our new next door neighbors were out on their patio late one night. They were talking and laughing and generally being noisy, which was annoying because I needed to be up early at 4:45am the next day. I didn’t say anything to them or complain about the noise, and I’m really glad I didn’t because I ran into my new neighbor the next day as we were both carrying heavy loads on our way home. He asked me about my wife wearing a knee brace, so I explained how she got hurt a few weeks ago. He then made a comment that it’s always tough when someone we love is hurt or suffering. He then explained how his wife just went through breast cancer treatments including a double mastectomy and yet was doing her best to recover and stay positive. He said, “I try to keep her happy and I am so grateful that she can still laugh and smile!”

And that got me thinking… I too am grateful. Grateful that every person on this earth is different, each one with their own unique individual story. Grateful that they’re sometimes willing to bless me with their personal stories.

The true story of every person in this world is not the story you see, the

external story. The true story of each person is the journey of their heart.

                                   ~ John Eldredge