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TODAY'S INSPIRATION:
 

“My daughter died of cancer and it was the low point of my life.” – Prescott Rogers

Well Beyond the Apparent

“I had a drinking problem.”  Prescott said to me as we talked about his progress in completing his contract.

As is most often the case with any acquaintance, I had no previous idea of what difficult personal challenges he’d been through.  All I knew was that he and his work had come highly recommended by trusted others.  And, after hiring him to complete maintenance work for client properties, he’d earned my trust as well.  This meeting, to inspect his progress at one such property, was the first time I’d been able to get to know more about the individual behind the work.

To look at Prescott, superficially today, one would never be able to guess the grief he’d battled to get here.  I guess that’s why I was surprised by the account he was sharing with me.  He was describing a person I didn’t know.

“My daughter died of cancer and it was the low point of my life.”  He said.  “I began to drink heavily just to get through the pain.  When people saw me out in my yard, I always had a drink in my hand.  It was the only way I could keep going, to do what was still needed to care for my family.”

He and his wife worked opposite shifts so they could personally attend to their children, while working full time to pay mounting & residual medical bills and living expenses.  Then, at one required shift change, both Prescott and his wife had to work the same hours.

“One day when my oldest son had to get himself to school on his own, because we were both working, he went to the neighbor’s car and climbed in, because it was their turn to drive for their carpool.  The driver, our next-door neighbor and mother of one of the carpool kids, turned to him and said, ‘Get out!  You’re not part of our carpool. You can walk to school.’  My son has never forgotten this, even though he’s fully grown and living independently now.”

As Prescott looked into my eyes, while telling this story, my gaze was searching for a trace of hurt and I discovered none!  He simply continued forward with his characteristic, sparkly eyes attesting to his authenticity.

“Not long after this incident, another neighbor was driving past my house.  Much later, after we became close friends, he said, ‘when I saw you, something inside told me it was time to rescue you!’  So, he did!  He became the neighbor and friend we needed.  He and his family saw who we could become again.  They looked past our grief, right into our core.  We will always love them for believing in us.  Their friendship was the catalyst of our discovery that life could be great again!”

“I had a drinking problem.”  Prescott said to me as we reviewed his progress in completing his contract.

As is most often the case with any acquaintance, I had no previous idea of what difficult personal challenges he’d been through.  All I knew was that he and his work had come highly recommended by trusted others.  And, after hiring him to complete maintenance work for client properties, he had earned my trust as well.  I thought this meeting was to inspect his work at one such property.  It was the first time I’d ever been able to get to know more about the man, than what as apparent.

It was so much more!  It was a lesson about how one person’s love, willingness and ability to follow instinct restored the lives of neighbors who were grieving and in need.  It was a lesson on how a person’s value and their story, always goes well beyond the apparent.