Not by Sight.

One of my elderly clients rides the bus to get to the clinic. As a laryngectomy client, he deals with a lot of prejudice because he has to communicate through a stoma (hole in the throat) or an artificial larynx. I hear about people judging him or trying to get as far away as possible because they think what he has is contagious. That makes me really sad because there's nothing contagious about him except his sense of humor.

The attitudes and actions of others is what makes my clients taciturn and depressed. He's so much more than what an operation has made him. Yes, he's a cancer survivor, but he's also an encourager, a big talker, a risk-taker, and a fighter. I watch him come alive when I ask him about Ireland and his family and I know he just wants to be heard and respected.

I think about his commute on the bus and how he stares at his own reflection in the window. I hope something in our therapy session sticks with him and makes him smile. I hope he knows I hear and respect him. And that I can beat him in black jack. (He likes that I don't go easy on him.) If we took the time to climb over walls, we might find that people are so much more than what we see.

Thankfulness of the day: A most gorgeous day to go running and walking by the ocean. I also found my first starfish and threw it back into the ocean hoping it'd have a second chance at life. :)