Imagine: It’s the first Valentine’s Day after your husband’s death and you begrudgingly trudge into the kitchen for a cup of coffee only to discover inches of water standing (and deepening!) across the floor. Even without caffeine, you kick into high gear and pull out every bath towel available hoping for dry ground that does not materialize. You begin to see red—not Valentine’s red but for the fact that your husband knew where to turn the water off, that a repair bill would turn your check balance red, and because life is just not fair!

A women once told this story at one of our Grief Talks. Just imagining what that day was like for her was overwhelming! Yet listening to her retell her story was funny, heart-warming and faith restoring!

It was funny because even in profound grief she could laugh at the circumstances. She described the look on the plumber’s face when she broke down in tears and told him that her husband had recently died. While retelling the story, she hunkered down like she did right beside the plumber as he worked under the sink.  She got tickled (and yes, sad) when she reflected, “That big, burly plumber had no idea what he had gotten himself into that Valentine’s!”

The hearts of everyone around the table warmed as she continued with her story. She spoke openly about the love she shared with her husband for over 50 years. She shared the gratitude she felt for the plumber’s willingness to listen, handing her a handkerchief and teaching her how to turn the water off at the main. She surprised us by acknowledging that talking it out, sobbing buckets of tears and getting the pipes repaired actually made her feel a bit better!

Our surprised only multiplied.  Later that day during the evening news her doorbell rang. Standing at the door was that big, burly plumber holding one dozen red roses! Each of us around that table cheered! We carried away a story filled with images of the goodness, love and compassion of humankind! Our hearts—though filled with grief—were bound together with a lasting image of random kindness, the delicate aroma of roses and renewed faith!

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