I spoke to a lady today who was kind, funny, and down to earth. She and I chatted for nearly 20 minutes and the time swept passed me before I knew it. As we're discussing the huge involvement in the 3-Day her family has had over the years she told me why they chose to crew this year instead of walk. She proceeded to tell me a story that welled my eyes with tears and filled my throat with a lump.
A few weeks ago her husband fell down 10 stairs and landed on his head. He didn't break a single bone but he has memory loss. Did you ever see 50 First Dates? Every morning when he wakes up he doesn't remember anything except his wife and son - thank God! Over the last few weeks she has had to give him a play by play of what day it is, where they are, what he does on a daily basis, and all of the normal things that we take advantage of.
She went on to tell me that her husband was a fire fighter a few years back but got hurt on the job and therefore, his career ended. For the last two years he's been working his tail off to get his degree. They've made sacrifices as a family for her to be the only one working full time so he can get back to work after obtaining his degree. Graduation is set for May but with his recent brain injury they don't know when he'll graduate now.
Not for a single second did her voice crack. Not for a single second was she feeling sorry for herself. Not for a single second did the smile leave her voice. What an amazing family these people are! It was incredibly inspiring to hear how strong they have been. She did tell me that the memory loss isn't permanent and in about 6 months he should be recovered.
Setbacks are a part of our life. No matter what we do to avoid them the fact of the matter is that it will happen to us. Will you throw in the towel and give up or will you choose to rise above?
