sandracarringtonsmith's blog

how many lives have you touched?

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"The people whose lives you touch may forget what you said, but they will never forget how you made them feel." -- David B. Haight

When I briefly spoke with my husband on the phone, yesterday, he mentioned that one of his customers had passed away. He mentioned his name to me, but I don’t believe I ever had the chance to meet the gentleman, so I told him that was sad news, and moved on to the next topic.

I suppose I should note that many of his customers are up in age, so it is not unusual to hear that someone passed away. The fact that this gentleman’s death was a little different didn’t occur to me until I saw my husband walking through the door when he got home from work. Grief was etched in the lines of his face, and his eyes were weighed down by a sadness I haven’t seen often.

Suddenly concerned that something was really wrong, I asked what was going on, and he told me more in detail about the death of his customer.  We talked about it for a while, and all along a thought began to take form in my own mind – how many people are impacted by our very existence?

My husband was not associated to this man through family or close friendship, but the connection they had developed through the years in their respective roles of service provider and customer was now shining through in full color.  I had seen a similar reaction several years ago, when one of out employees passed away in a car crash – although she had never valued herself much, her memorial service was at full capacity, and people came from all over to pay their last respects. 

Indeed, each of us touches many lives. We may not realize just how many, especially when life circumstances are such that we are feeling alone and disconnected. And yet, there is no moment in our lives when we are totally alone – we may feel that way, but it is nothing more than a personal perception. 

Every day that we step out and say a kind word, hug someone who needs a little human touch, or try to resolve a conflict, we touch someone else’s life in our own unique way. It may be something so small that goes undetected to all others but the person who’s receiving the kindness, and there is no right or wrong way.

Our late employee used to leave gifts for her friends’ children on their porch and talked to anyone with the same type of respect and acceptance, regardless of their social status – we have seen burly and “thuggish” man coming in and crying when they saw her photo. 

This gentleman also touched people pretty much the same ways, as he approached life with unconditional acceptance, and made everyone feel as if they truly had a special connection to him. We are all, somehow, interconnected to one another, and need to remember that everything we do counts, regardless of how big or small our gesture is. 

So, to your knowledge, who has impacted your life and whose presence would you miss if they were gone? Similarly, how many lives have you impacted?  We can exponentially increase the number of people we impact in our daily lives, if we just choose to be kind and accepting. We can start today – in fact we can start right now. Our possibilities are truly endless. 

Filed under: Personal