A Great Story Anytime Of Year

You Are Not Alone                                      Story Editor:
by Lucy Hanouille                                   Joyce Schowalter
Texas, USA

My father died when I was twenty years old. Up until his death, I
had never told anyone of his illness or the suffering that our
family had endured for the past fifteen years. It was the family
secret -- we learned well not to discuss it.

Death sometimes has a way of revealing secrets. I was encouraged to
take the news of my loss to the Assistant Dean of my art school,
Doris Kinsella.

Doris was, in my opinion, one of the world's best listeners. I found
myself pouring my heart out to her. She listened, gave advice and
encouraged me to stay in school and in counseling.

As I left her office, she pointed down the hall at another girl I
knew and liked and said, "See that girl? She lost her father this
weekend. Heart attack. Very sudden, very unexpected."

That was all she said. But from that moment, I looked for that other
girl. If she was working in the studio, I worked. If she was going
to classes, I went. I couldn't imagine how it felt to lose someone
so quickly; I admired her courage. Having known my father was
dying... if she could keep going, I could, too.

At the school year's end, the other student, "Alice" and I were
talking. We shared our deep respect for Doris and the comfort she
had brought to our lives in this difficult year.

Alice then told me her story. She also had been encouraged to see
Doris when her father died. She also found a deep, thoughtful,
compassionate listener in Doris. Doris had suggested grief
counseling and encouraged her to stay in school.

When they walked out of her office together, Doris pointed towards
me and said, "See that girl? Her father just died after 15 long
years of illness. No one really knows what made him ill."

After that, Alice looked for me every day. If I was working in the
studio, she worked in the studio. If she saw me going to classes,
she went to classes. Alice said she couldn't imagine how it must
have felt to live with the inevitability of death for so long. We
both agreed that it didn't matter how the loss occurred -- it still
hurt deeply.

In that way, without even speaking, we kept each other in school. We
kept each other going. With one simple sentence, Doris kept us both
in school.

We lost Doris to cancer almost 20 years ago, but her kindness and
her love for me as a student and person have stayed with me to this
day. I realize now that the lesson she taught me, by her simple
statements, has been a guiding light keeping me going through the
hard times in my life. No matter how alone depression or PTSD made
me feel, I knew I was not alone after all.

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