Sharing Your Story

This past week, I was having lunch in the St. Johnsbury School. It was in between lunch periods and I was trying to figure out where to sit when the next groups of student arrived. While looking around the cafeteria, a table with one adult and four students waved me over. I accepted their invitation and joined them while they ate.

We exchanged names, and the conversation quickly moved as I asked them what's great about the St. Johnsbury School. It was a lively exchange and I was happy to meet and get to know more students. As the students got up to go to their next class, the adult leaned in to me and told me how meaningful last week's blog post was.

I thanked this adult and paused as the conversation went on. As it turns out, this individual lost a child in the middle of the night, and the medical thinking was that it was a febrile seizure - the same kind of seizure that our son Patrick had. With tears, this adult put a hand on my shoulder and told me that we saved my son's life that day by our quick action.

I was awed, humbled, and overwhelmed by what I had just been told. I have never had another person spontaneously share with me such tragic news, and clearly someone whom I had only recently met and been introduced to.

All I had done was share my own story but in doing so, I gave this individual permission to do the same. In doing so, I built a bridge to someone I had never met before last week. In doing so, there now exists a relationship where there once was none.

Who are you? Share your story.