Moments D473: Silver Linings

Sometimes life is just nasty to you.  It's nothing that you've done to deserve the negative energy, but perhaps it's a moment where you weren't strong enough to shield yourself from it.  It happens.  We all fall down from time to time, get a little (and sometimes a lot) beaten up, and feel bloodied and bruised.

Recently one of our own suffered through a terrible ordeal on his birthday weekend.  I had texted him on his birthday (last Monday) and his reply was to share some details about this birthday nightmare.  He shared it with me and me alone.  When we arrived to the office on Tuesday, I shared the story briefly with our team and we quickly agreed that we should try to help out.  Given that this ray of light touches many lives in the company, we sent out the following email to the entire staff team:

Pardon the intrusion, but one of our own suffered through an ordeal this past weekend and my department would like to reach out and see if we can’t help ease the pain a bit.

Imagine it's your birthday weekend. You're ready to have an awesome time with your family. Food, drink, presents. The whole nine. Then, suddenly all of that joy is taken away in a heartbeat.

Our good friend Ray of Light experienced exactly that this past weekend, as a thief stole his wife's purse (containing a great deal of cash, credit cards and gifts) while she rode the streetcar. Never mind the financial inconvenience this caused - being victimized like that sure would put a damper on MY weekend plans, and I'm guessing they did the same to Ray of Light and his family.

What we are hoping for, is the generosity of the folks who see every day. Just to give what you can. We are not looking to replace any particular amount, but rather we want to show Ray of Light and his family that there is an opposite (and much stronger) side to their lousy experience. Hopefully they can use whatever funds we raise to have a nice dinner and drinks together - on us.

If you're interested in contributing, we will be collecting your donations till Friday at noon. Let us know you'd like to donate via email, as we'd like to make this a surprise for  Ray of Light.  We'll present him with whatever we collect shortly after that.

Please be aware that we are trying to make this a surprise, so please no sharing with him prematurely!!

Thanks to everyone for whatever you can spare.

Back to your regularly scheduled day.  :)

The response immediate.  The flood of support and the depth of love that it brought with it was inspiring. We've been collecting funds since Tuesday and today when we handed over the card and envelope there was over $1000 collected for Ray of Light.  A company full of incredibly generous people offering to line Ray of Light's dark cloud with a little (a LOT!) of silver.  From the executive team down to the warehouse, he is loved.

When Ray of Light realized what had happened it was like a dam opening.  We're living in tight quarters at the moment and I tried to give him enough space to process the flood.  I hugged him, told him that he was loved by many and quietly handed him the box of kleenex.  Twenty minutes later, composed enough, he shared these words back to the company:

To my team mates, my friends, my work family - words will not do justice, will not suffice to give meaning to how you have all touched my heart –how you have helped my family.

I am so overwhelmed by your kindness – and your thoughtfulness - I am beside myself – I would be more eloquent in thanking you – but I am crying too hard.

A good character is the best tombstone. Those who loved you and were helped by you will remember you when forget-me-nots have withered. Carve your name on hearts, not on marble.

My heart is full of names - I love you all, I am in your debt, thank you, thank you.

He sent me a separate note, one that was just as heartfelt and touching:

Thank you most of all – one day I will find out what I did in my life to deserve a friend like you.

Ray of Light is a good man.  A man who has had quite a few hard knocks, and yet, he pushes forward, with a smile, with the ability to give more than he ever takes and he never, ever complains or asks for help. (Even when he should sometimes!)  The outpouring of love and support only goes to show just how many people's lives his beautiful energy has inspired.

It was a beautiful moment to see him soak in the energy reflected back to him today to watch the darkness lift and his storm cloud blown away.  As the rest of the day passed, I could feel him settling into the energy. Now Ray of Light will enjoy this weekend with his family (including visitors from out of town) without worrying about how he is going to afford to feed his extended family.

Ray of Light will left work with a full heart, a recharged soul and the understanding that while life can be nasty and break you down, there are loving people around that can help lift the burden and brighten the world around again.  He is not alone.

You are not alone.  Nor am I.

It's a story to share because many of us feel alone in times of trouble and don't always look past the darkness to realize that we have a support system.  This is a beautiful example of that.  It just takes a moment to share.

Moments watching the darkness lift and a heart swell.

Moments appreciating the beautiful people I work with.