I scribbled this a few years ago, one evening, after work.

The best word to describe this man is simply...kind. He embodies the definition. His face radiates kindness. His eyes are compassionate and gentle. His smile draws you in.

My patient has cancer and will not live much longer. His courage inspired me today. "Life never turns out exactly as we plan." he said.

As the weeks pass...the facades melt away too. Why do we spend so much time and energy erecting these facades? And we take such great care that it doesn't crack. He was so REAL today.

For the first time he shared his disappointment. He was not angry or bitter. My heart was breaking, but I said nothing and just listened. He wanted pure 'truth' at this time. At this moment, it was as if he and I were the only two people on the Earth. We hugged each other tightly. The facade is crumbling.

Today...my courageous friend cried...

Thanks for listening...
~~~~~~~~~~~~
~A Hidden Place~

Each of us has a hidden place
Somewhere deep within ourselves;
A place where we go to get away,
To think things through,
To be alone, to be ourselves.

This unique place, where we confront our deepest feelings,
Becomes a storehouse of all our hopes,
All our needs, all our dreams,
And even our unspoken fears.
It encompasses the essence of who we are and what we want to be.

But now and then, whether by chance or design,
Someone discovers a way into that place we thought was ours alone.
And we allow that person to see, to feel and to share
All the reason, all the uncertainty
And all the emotion we've stored up there.

That person adds new perspective to our hidden realm,
Then quietly settles down in his own corner of our special place,
Where a bit of himself will stay forever.
And we call that person a...Friend....

-Poem by Carol Elaine Faivre-Scott

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White Orchid