The Power of Relationship

During this season I believe one of the things I have become most appreciative of is relationship. I also believe I have a deeper understanding of how very important it is to our well-being and happiness. 

Last Thursday I was working in my office when I looked up and there peeking through the window was Ruben! Oh my goodness. Ruben!! It has been 5 years. He was one of our very first members. I ran out to give him one of the biggest bear hugs imaginable. I was over the moon happy to see him. He was a little heavier than the last time I saw him, but he was still the same guy.

When Ruben first came to the PARC he was tired, broken and angry. The few months he was here he began to heal and get back on his feet. He found work and found a wife. Ruben actually got married at the PARC. In these past 5 years he has traveled from one end of the country to the next. He has landed jobs in North Carolina, North Dakota and Colorado. He was on his way from his job in Pueblo to see his family in Arkansas and he made a point to stop by the PARC on his way.

We talked of life 5 years ago. He asked about volunteers and some of the past members. We shared memories of Robert and how Ruben used to stand with Robert and me and say, "You guys don't have a clue what you are doing." We would all laugh because he was right.  It was so good to see him. I asked him why. Why did he make such an effort to come by the PARC? He looked me straight in the eye and said, "Don't you know? You were my beginning. You saw me at my lowest of lows. I wanted you to see me when I was at my high again. I think of you every day." 

We didn't provide any resources or any special help. We just loved and accepted him. We became friends. Over the years we have changed. the PARC has grown, Robert is gone and I feel that I know a little bit more about what I am doing. What hasn't changed is our relationship, and our love for one another. That relationship changed his life. It changed my life, too. Relationship is powerful. We must never forget.