Humbling...

Recently I had a very humbling experience and I wanted to share it with you.

As I was facebooking a few weeks ago, I ran across a girl I went to high school with. Well, as soon as I clicked onto her profile, my heart just sank. There she is in multiple pictures with a baby boy, tubes all over the place, and status updates about how her 1 year old son just got finished with chemotherapy. As I read on, I found out her son Travyn Shae was diagnosed with an Atypical Teritoid Rhabdoid Brain Tumor that he has been fighting his entire young life. This news just broke my heart and the thought of their pain and suffering has stayed with me since learning of this sad news. I just can’t imagine the position she is in and how difficult it must be to see your only child fighting for his life.

Seeing her circumstances really humbled me because in high school this wasn’t a girl I particularly liked. She wasn’t very nice to people outside her circle and I always regarded her as one of the pretty, popular girls who was stuck up and got all the boys I could only dream of dating. You know, one of those dumb reasons for not liking someone in high school. Now 6 years later, I am praying for the recovery of her son and am reminded that everyone has good in them. It also makes me realize how petty we are as a society. We dislike people for minute reasons, judge too quickly, and we fail to give everyone a chance. Maybe she had a façade up and was really one of the most caring people underneath her hard exterior. Maybe she wasn’t a nice person in high school, but maybe this experience has changed her and made her into an amazing, strong person who would be an asset to my life. Either way, I don’t know because I never gave her a chance.

A dear friend of mine once said that because she has been through two very difficult deaths, she tends to give people more of a chance. You never know someone’s circumstances or where they are coming from the first time you meet them. This resonated with me because I have been a victim of this multiple times but I have also immediately disliked someone based on first impressions. Seeing the pictures of Travyn, reading his story and thinking about what my friend said have all made me realize that no matter what I initially think of someone, I want to find the good in everyone. This is my new goal and I challenge anyone who reads this to do the same. I think if we all got to know people more and judged less our world would be a better place. I for one know it would make me a better person and I look forward to this challenge.

If you want to read about Travyn Shae and how he is doing, here is his care link page. www.carepages.com/carepage/travynshae. You need to set up a profile to read about him, but it’s worth it (and it’s free!)