Thought I'd share this with everyone. To give credit, I saw it on this site by a cartoonist named Carl Ray.
As someone who at times wonders if there's a light at the end of the tunnel, I found this story inspiring and I hope you do, too. Here's a sample:
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Things seemed pretty hopeless that day, and the weather wasn’t helping. It was gray and windy, early spring. I was sitting in my van, waiting outside the school to pick up my 9-year-old son, but my thoughts were a million miles away, in the same spot that they usually were. I was unemployed, and when you’re unemployed, all you can think about is money; as in, where am I going to get the money to pay my bills? Not just the bills coming up, but the bills that are already overdue, the bills I’m getting calls about all day, every day, every hour. I dreaded those calls to the point that I actually jumped whenever the phone rang. The stress is unrelenting and it grinds away at your soul, lives in the pit of your stomach.
As I sat there obsessing on my dire financial situation, despairing in the knowledge that none of my resumes were being answered, the van door quickly slid open and my son bounded into his seat. I looked back at him. He was wearing a huge smile, beaming with pride.
“Dad! Dad! We played sparkle today and Bryce came in second.”
“Oh, that’s nice, Sam.”
He grinned. “Wanna know who came in first?”
“Sure”, I said, playing along.
“I did, Dad! And look what I got!” He reached into his backpack and produced a blue piece of paper. “It’s a coupon for a free ice cream cone!”
“Wow, Sam! That’s great!”
To Sam, getting an ice cream cone was like winning the lottery. All was well in his world! His excitement gave me a moment in life to savor, a moment when I could share in his happiness. And with that, we were off to Dairy Queen; he with his coupon and I with a smile. It was a huge emotional lift, just when I needed it most.
I’ve got a great job now and things are much better, but I’ll never forget that moment. It’s great to have a son to spend time with.
The rest of the story can be found
here.