Noticing Others Pain. The Comforter.

The younger boys and I spent some time at the pool today. We were sitting at a table eating lunch when two women and one girl arrived and sat down not far from us. We smiled at each other and said a polite, "Hi. Nice to see you."

As the younger boys headed back in to the pool, I walked over and sat down beside one of the women. This woman and 30+ members of her family have moved to the highly secure gated community in Texas from California since 2005. I met several of them at the pool for the first time shortly after we had moved here as well.

Knowing that the matriarch of their family had recently passed on - I inquired about how she and the rest were doing. She shared with me the story of her mother's passing and about how everyone was coping and trying to move on. Little did she know that I was going to be able to add to the story. The details are not necessary for the point of this post except that it give her much comfort to know.

She thanked me for noticing her pain. Interestingly enough? She noticed mine before one day back a couple of years now. Due to that conversation and the one we were having today - she knew that I understood her pain in a very real way. We also discussed how neither one of us would want our loved one back.

Noticing others pain.... Only The Comforter brings joy when the world says, "Death has won."