Prisoner (prior to
taking a seat): Any more chairs with arms?
Me: Sit in that one
and it’ll have arms.
I gave up wearing neckties in the prison years ago; now I
wear a heavy suit; been wearing it everyday, trying not to share what I had
lost in 2011 or how much more I’m going to lose in 2012; my peer (another
academic teacher) periodically checked in on me, his cordial greeting was never
prying and he often encouraged me whenever I’d drop my armor and share the
latest of my misfortunes.
A simple “How are you doing today?” would elicit these types
of responses from me:
—Other than working for the Queen Bee, I’m alright.
—Other than being an employed homeless man, couldn’t be
better.
—Other than paying off my house and giving it away, just
peachy.
He grew accustomed to my sarcasm. He’d acknowledge it,
especially the most frequently used complaint about my not having a place of my
own to live, about losing my home.
In hindsight, none of what’s happened to me matters, it should
never have mattered. You see, my coworker lost his home and a family member to
a fire last weekend. I don’t know the specifics, but he is in the hospital with
second degree burns to his face and hands. I do know this: He has an extended
family called The Michigan Department of Corrections, and even though he’s not
ready for visits, we are here for him; we are gearing up for fundraisers and
praying for his speedy recovery.
8 comments:
Straight up stuff, JR. I'll keep him in my prayers.
It matters, everything matters Jim. Some of it matters more than other bits of it though.
Sometimes our own problems (as awful as they may be) pale in comparison to those of others. What a terrible experience for your friend but how wonderful that he has people to reach out to he & his family at this time.
Sounds like he deserves the support. I wish him well.
Our hearts and prayers are out to him JR. He couldn't have a better friend. Huck's Gang
J.R.-Just goes ta show ya, someone always has it worse. He's lucky to have a friend that understands pain and loss.
Kind of puts life in perspective. One of my best friends was told that his cancer has spread to his liver and brain. Makes anything that bugs me seem trivial. Sting signing "Fragile" reminds me of this . They are both in my prayers. MW
My thoughts are to him and a full recovery.
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