Blessed.

It was a normal Thursday.  I was wrapping up my to do list at work and had just told a coworker I was about ready to leave the office, when an older woman came in the front door.  I heard her tell the woman at the front desk that she was lost and went on with my business.  It wasn’t unusual for people to come in to our office to ask for directions.  However, I soon overheard that not only did the woman not know where she was, she didn’t know how she got there or where she’d come from.  After speaking with her a few minutes, we also figured out this wasn’t the first time this had happened.  She tried to leave, but couldn’t find the door she’d come in through only minutes before, which was just a few feet away.  This is when I decided to call the police.

We spent the next hour and a half talking to the woman and listening to her stories while the police, and eventually the EMTs, tried to decide what to do.  We heard many of the same stories two or three times, often with altered details.  But the bottom line was the same – sadness, loneliness, and grief.  She had no family nearby and no one to come pick her up.  Eventually, a cell phone rang from deep within her purse, and the EMTs were able to speak to a friend who came to get her.  The friend explained that this was a fairly normal occurrence, but he lived nearby and checked in on her frequently.  I saw the woman the next day when they came to pick up her car and she had no memory of the previous day.

I left work that day completely worn down.  I don’t know which pieces of her stories were true and which she just believed to be true.  But I do know that someone she loved was missing from her life.  My interactions with her really put things into perspective.  Before meeting her, I was just stressed about figuring out what we’d pick up for dinner that evening and our weekend plans.  But the thing is, I have a family to provide dinner for {even if it was drive through} and friends with whom to make weekend plans.  I have so many things to be thankful for and sometimes take those for granted.

I know it’s become annoying and cliche to talk about how blessed you are when just about everyone adds #blessed to their Instagram photos.  But goodness, I really am.  And I hope I never forget that.

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