Empathy

Empathy is defined as the ability to feel the feelings of another person. You can put yourself in their shoes and feel their happiness or in this case their pain. For the last eight years I've watched on TV as the names of the people lost on 9/11 were read aloud at Ground Zero. I saw in the crowd people holding photos of the loved one they lost. Each photo a story of a life cut short. This year I saw some of those family members in person. I SAW the photos with my own eyes..not on TV..right in front of me. All the faces I'd only seen on a television screen were looking back at me. The family members were passing me in the crowd. None of them knowing how far I'd traveled to be there. I was just another face among many.

We left before all the names were read and went down into the subway. On the bench in front of me was an elderly lady with two young men sitting on each side of her. In her arms in front of her she clutched a photo. The closer we got I was able to see it better. The face looking back at me was a handsome man in a fireman's uniform. His smile was so bright. Just one of those smiles who could put you at ease. She had his picture held tightly against her chest..close to her heart I expect. From her age and the age he looked to be, I guessed it was her son. I thought of my own son. I can't imagine the pain a mother would go through losing her child, grown or not. Parents just aren't supposed to bury their children. I watched her as she held the picture..staring blankly at the floor. I just wanted to hug her and tell her how sorry I was for her loss. I remembered in my pocket I had an angel penny. I walked over to her and took her hand gently and placed the penny in her palm. Lightly squeezing her hand as I did. I will never forget her eyes as she looked up at me. The look of sadness, loss, hurt, grief and pain in those deep brown eyes was unbearable. I just looked back into them, turned and without saying a word walked away. When I was a few feet away I looked back to her and she was gone...like she and the men with her vanished. I assumed the train came before I turned back..but when I told my son William the story he made me think twice....he said, "Well mama...maybe they were angels....." Maybe so William.....maybe so...

If that mother had anything good happen all day, I'm hoping my angel was part of it.