EMBRACING FORGIVENESS F O O D F O R T H O U G H T Jul 25, 2002 By Bob Perks
"No one has ever done something like this for me," the woman said. I could make a million excuses for what had happened, but none of them could justify how I acted. It had been a few weeks since we first discovered Keith had cancer. Theshock of it all was still fresh in my mind. There were times when a numbness came over me, perhaps a shield to protect me from the affects of too much stress. Other times I lived right on the edge wondering, waiting for some bit of hope to cling to. But that day nothing seemed to be going right. We were waiting for some crucial test results regarding my son's cancer. I pulled into the parking lot and found the gate open so I just drove through. They had trouble with their system a few times before so I thought nothing of it. I parked and headed into the building. Several hours later, I decided to run to store to pick up a few things I would need for my stay over there at the hospital. They permitted parents to sleep there so we could be near our children. Not in a bed, but on a bench built in the window. I had so much on my mind I never stopped to think about my comfort. I was just grateful to be there with him. As I headed toward the exit of the parking lot, I noticed there was a long line. In my hurry to get back to Keith I became more than impatient with the situation. I was becoming angry. Finally, as I approached the toll booth, I hurriedly explained that I did not get a ticket when I came in that day. "I'm so sorry. We've been having problems lately. What time did you come in?" the woman asked. "What?" I replied. "I need to know what time you came in, so that I can charge you," she said. "I can't even remember what day it is and you want me to know what time I arrived here," I said angrily. "Sir, I can't open the gate until..." "My son is lying up there in a hospital bed. He could be dying from cancer and you want me to remember what time I arrived in the parking lot?" "Sir, I am sorry but..." "I have no idea. How sad this is that you stand there worried about how many dollars I owe you and you have no concern for what is happening to my son," I screamed at her. "Here's five dollars. Keep it. Now get me out of here!" The gate went up and I drove off quickly. When I arrived at the store I couldn't even remember why I was there. Still shaking from the fury of my outburst I wandered around inside the store thinking about what I had just done. I tried to justify it a hundred times, but I knew deep in my heart she didn't deserve what I had said. I purchased a few items and returned to the hospital. Ashamed, I entered the lot and hurried into the building. All I needed to do was see my son's face and the guilt of it all came rushing over me. "Did you get what you needed, Dad?" he asked. "Ah, no. There's one more thing I need to pick up," I said. I went down to the gift shop and bought a small bouquet of flowers. Walking out the front door I nervously approached the ticket booth across the road. Still faced with a long line of cars, the woman looked up at me. The next car to exit paused a few feet away when they saw that I was headed toward the booth. "I need to ask you to forgive me. There is no excuse for the anger I aimed at you earlier. You are just doing your job. Please accept these flowers," I said and then turned and walked away. The woman stepped out of her booth in front of that same car. With my back toward her I heard, "Can I give you a hug?" "Oh, Lord," I said perhaps thanking him for the compassion she held in her heart. "Yes, I would be honored," I said. "No one has ever done something like this for me," the woman said. There we stood in the drive way exit hugging. Two strangers whose lives crossed by chance. Two people blessed with compassion by embracing forgiveness. Who do you need to forgive today? ********************************************** DISCLAIMER: 'FoodForThought' share this message as submitted and do not claim to own any copyright privileges on it. All the messages are believed to be free for circulation or public domain. All messages come in either by email in original form or copied from the internet sites.The work was submitted to us as an item for distribution, and it was posted solely on the basis of its quality. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ F O O D F O R T H O U G H T is powered by InJesus.com. 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