Physicians and dentists attended a conference in British Columbia. Their meeting room was abuzz with professional lingo. Everyone was engaged except a 25-year-old table waiter. He stood at the edge of the room with a soapy cloth in his hand. As soon as a table was vacated he cleaned it in preparation for the next meal.
Since I was a seminar presenter I could scan the room. I noticed the table cleaner. His left shirt sleeve was armless and pinned to the front of his shirt. At the end of my lecture I hurried to the back of the room and introduced myself to him. He was surprised because none of the conference goers had spoken to him.
I learned that he had lost his left arm in a sawmill accident. The company paid for retraining which had not started yet. He felt useless and discouraged. I told him about my brother-in-law who had lost his arm in Iwo Jima in WW2, but was able to finish college and become a teacher. I told him he had the potential to achieve.
During the next three days he sat next to me at meal time. We talked about his options. He bid me farewell at the close of the conference. He was uplifted because I had noticed him and saw value in him in spite of his accident. His life once again had purpose.
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