Client Reminders

Every now and then I have clients that teach me something. Their stories remain with me long after I've forgotten their names.

Like the woman who suffered severely from anxiety due to a traumatic past, but showed up with her loving husband in their Sunday best. Her anxiety was so great she panicked like a child the moment she entered the hearing room and could only be consoled by the presence of her faithful, hard-working husband. The sincere love and concern this man had for his wife and his watchful care over her despite her debilitating condition and inability to give equally in their marriage continues to impress me.

Then there was the middle-aged man whose income most years exceeded mine but because of his line of work and a leave of absence to take care of a terminally ill father was left without any medical coverage in his time of need. He was a former athlete, who at one point even ran the Pikes Peak Marathon (!), and was now struck with terminal cancer and drowning in medical debt. This once strong and very capable man broke down in sobs after his hearing and paid no attention to my outstretched hand as he enveloped me in the strongest hug I have yet to receive from a client.

This week I had another such story. I was returning from a short vacation and ready to dive into a day packed with hearings. I was feeling the post-vacation blues and, for some reason, a bit of the "woe is me"s and I was happy to be "anxiously engaged" and mentally occupied.

My client was a young man in his early twenties but due to several serious medical conditions he was left with a body that was underweight and mangled and in excruciating pain. I had to physically assist him into the hearing room. Little testimony was taken as his poor body spoke volumes. As I helped this man back to his loved ones, I was struck with the very timely lessons that are sometimes given to us. The stark reminders that while life is never perfect, there are certainly things to be grateful for. I felt a bit of the love our Savior must have for these tender souls with their disfigured bodies. I was reminded that while on the Earth, He blessed and healed bodies like my client's and at times even wept. Though my body is strong and capable, I was reminded that, while not physically on the Earth, He still has power to heal my heart.

Immediately following this hearing, I had another client, a one year old, who due to incidents at birth was left with a similarly mangled body. Although unable to effectively use his right side, he was free from pain, and was all smiles. He was able to show us his disfigured high five and, though only one, legitimately winked at me several times throughout the hearing. The ladies better watch out when he grows up. His smiles despite his physical limitations continued to teach me the lesson I needed this week.

So today, I am grateful. I am grateful to have a working, functioning body that allows me to get up everyday and earn a living. I'm grateful to have a job with medical coverage, flexibility, and the opportunity to travel. I am grateful for a family legacy of education, healthy living, independence, hard work, and Christian values. I am grateful to know there is a Savior of the world who atoned for our sorrows, heartaches, loneliness, and physical ailments. I am grateful to know that through His atonement we can all be made whole, whether in this life or in the next, physically as well as emotionally. I am grateful to know that we have a loving Heavenly Father who knows us and who blesses us with timely reminders and lessons tailored specifically to our needs in our time of need. And I am grateful to my clients, for teaching me so powerfully.