Everyone Has A Story

I know I've written about it before and probably will again, but it is all too true.
There is a man named Doug who is a head cashier at our local variety store. He is a head cashier and whenever I shop there, I go to where he is working. He always has a friendly face with it's bright smile, optimistic and sunny attitude and kind words to say to me. Last week he started sharing a personal story of the man he used to be a home health aide for. His story was so moving. the man he assisted for eight years was dying a slow death as a result of alzeimers disease. As a result of this sick man's sons not wanting to help out in any way, Doug became everything to this family. He was the one who sat by this man while he lay there dying a slow and at times painful death. All I could do was continue to listen as he described how he had to change career paths due to the emotional pain he endured while caring for his client or patient or more simply said, his friend, until he died.
Sometimes, listening is the best thing we can do for another.  The original
"Everyone Has a Story" concept was first created by journalist Steve Hartman. I remember him as a local storyteller for Wcco I think. Then he moved on up to The Early Show on CBS and he would travel around the country to small and seemingly unnoticeable towns, find one of their local phone books, open it up to a random page, close his eyes and point to a name and go on to their listed address. He would knock on the door and wait with baited breath to see who would answer. Whoever answered had a surprise coming to them. Steve's conversational style would at first take the person off guard, but then(just like my cashier friend Doug), the person would start telling their story. Due to the shock I think, most people didn't they had anything interesting or unique about them. They were always wrong.  I still love Hartman's style and in fact he is still on CBS' Sunday Morning show and does a variety of human interest stories. One of the best!

Well, thanks always and again for stopping by to read. We Minnesotans have made it thru another long winter and are truly enjoying a seemingly early spring. Yay.