My mom and I walked into doctor’s office, and they escorted us to the room. As my mom was getting on the table, the nurse asked how she was doing. I said she is doing better than usual and was feeling good overall.
She turned and looked at us and said, “every time you walk in with your mom, it reminds me of my mom. She died 25 years ago at 57, and next week I will be 57.” Evidently, something made her feel safe to share this story with us, and I was so glad she did.
As her eyes welled up with tears, she explained that her mom had a rare brain injury and the doctors weren’t sure how to take care of her. She explained that as she got closer to that age, she could imagine more clearly how her mom must have felt at this time of her life.
She caught her breath and began to describe the reasons she takes mission trips each year to Ethiopia where she helps those who have nowhere else to turn. It was all related to the frustration she felt not being able to get help for her mother.
While she was clearly hurting, it was also a beautiful story of how she turned her pain into good. She stopped, apologized, and said she didn’t know why she was telling us this.
Choked up, we suddenly felt so close to this nurse we had only met a few times before. It was a part of her story. Part of what made her who she was and what directed her down her path. Her story moved us as we were granted this intimate glimpse, just for a moment, of who she was.
It’s our stories that make life so interesting. We all have experiences that no one knows about or things that we go through that help shape us into the people we are at this exact moment.
Those are the best stories.
I created this “Own Your Story” interview series to highlight the stories that connect us and instill strength from our experiences and dreams.
Please contact me to sign up for an interview. Sharing your life can feel vulnerable, but it also pushes you past your comfort zone to that new level of freedom. It’s the simple shifts that empower you!