My best friend who I had the privilege of serving as his best man 20
years ago invited Sue and I to stay as his guests in Nashua. His beloved spouse
made gourmet meals every day and we spent our time watching World Cup Soccer,
some PBS detective shows and enjoyed the Boston Pops at Tanglewood. He recently
retired after 40 plus years service as a geriatric physician.
His vocation was to get his elderly patients off their pills and make
them as independent as possible so they could enjoy their golden years. His
other talent was to teach the next generation of young docs how to care for
seniors with respect and dignity.
My best friend is now 75, and he was showing off the features of his new
2018 Subaru with all its bells and whistles. His family comes from Detroit and
he has an extensive appreciation for all makes of cars. Yes, his toy has google
maps, back up screens and bells that sound when you cross the lines. This is a
good thing because when seated as a passenger he made me crazy. We are on the
highway and you need to change lanes to make a turn but he’s still going
straight until someone points out “not here go there.” “I’m sorry” he says. Now
we are on cruise control and he shares when you come up too close to the car in
front of you, the car’s brakes back you away. Good thing because I didn’t want
to be part of that guy’s bumper.
Bless his dear wife and Susan who are in the back of the car and his wife
says to “quit it” you’re making us dizzy. I’m sorry, he says again. Mind you,
he’s more then it seems. He’s not trying to be malicious or rattle us, just a
tad careless at times.
I wonder, when you retire does something happen to your brain that says you
can get a little flaky and people around you will look the other way. Maybe, he
just wants our attention. You may think that he’s just another doctor who has
enjoyed the power and prestige of his position and expects people to bow to all
his whims. You would be dead wrong with my friend for he is not what it seems
with this true story.
Our spouses called to make reservations for dinner after the concert, but
every restaurant was booked except one known as the Church Grille that took no
reservations. After my friend parked the car, we are walking to the restaurant
and he says let’s go here. I’m thinking that’s silly since the ladies had
called the Church Grille. However, when we got to the door, the place was dark
inside and a sign on the door read the place was closed that night due to a
plumbing problem.
I turned and there’s my friend running back to the other restaurant. We
walked only halfway not sure what he was up to. Then he’s frantically waving
his arms to come back. He’s more than people think because we learned that this
restaurant had no reservations available, but there were 5 free seats at the
bar where we could eat. No problem, we appreciated my friend’s quick response
and to our surprise enjoyed a wonderful gourmet meal. When I wanted to pick up
the bill, he said to me “please let me take care of this.” So, I got off my bar
stool, walked over to the end of the bar and took him by the shoulder and said “Thanks.”
You see we are always more than people think.
People are always more than we think. You may never know that my best
friend worked with veterans who struggled with their PTSD and drug addictions. You
may never know that he has an auto-immune disease that requires a powerful
medication that lays him up for a day or two before he feels better. You may never
know that his generosity extends to all his adult kids and grandkids whom he visits
often around the country. His grand-kids love their grand-dad. He gives quietly to all his family and I can
say: “We never knew he had it in him.”
The point is that we are indeed more than people think and sometimes you
know, it breaks out. Sometimes our crazy side drives other insane, then again our
generous and heroic deeds pop out to challenge others’ assessment and in
surprise they say: “We never knew you had it in you.”
This happened often to Jesus and his disciples as they began their
ministry to the folks in surrounding villages. The truth is people are always
more than we think and therefore we must never lock them in the box, nor should
they lock us in.
Lord, I pray for all my Sonshine Friends who have been misunderstood by family and friends. You know our silly side and our heroic deeds. Help us to see the good that you see in all of us and be a grateful people.
