~ Written by: Richard Edler ~
~ The Compassionate Friends, Palos Verdes Estates, California ~
An 8 year retrospective . . . .
Who was that person?
He looks like me. He talks like me. But I don't think I know him anymore.
Who was that person?
He had so many friends. He was popular at cocktail parties and told good jokes. Today, he
seeks out one person he can really talk to and that is enough. His telephone Rolodex is a
lot smaller, but so much more important.
Who was that person?
He had such different priorities. He skated over life, like an ice skater on a frozen
pond. He never thought about how cold the water was. Now he has a totally new
perspective on the world. He reaches out to people who hurt because he knows how they
feel. He has been there. He has felt the ice water.
Who was that person?
He had an orderly chronological sense of time. Now the world is divided forever into
simply "before," and "after."
Who was that person?
He used to rush through dinner or cut the family vacation short to get back to the office.
Now he thinks back to the family times as the most wonderful times of his life. He knows
what is irreplaceable.
Who was that person?
He used to worry about so many imaginary troubles, most of which never happened anyway.
Now he spends most of his time in the present. He appreciates today's sunset, daisies,
simple things and good friends. He knows how precious each moment is.
Who was that person?
He used to think about what he wanted to get out of life. Now he thinks about how grateful
he is for the gifts he has had.
Who was that person?
He used to measure his goals in terms of where he was going. Now he focuses more on what
his life will have been about. He asks less and less why his child died, and more often:
"Why did he live?"
Who was that person?
He had never heard of The Compassionate Friends. Now they are his best friends. And he
knows that by helping someone else through The Compassionate Friends, he also helps
himself.
Who was that person?
I don't think I know him anymore.
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