Bad Day Brings Valuable Perspective

The past few weeks have been pretty stressful around my house.  My mother-in-law Jackie was moved to a nursing home, and we are not overly pleased with the care she is receiving.  About a month ago, she was completely self-sufficient and living in her own home, and now she seems as helpless as a newborn baby in some ways.  She injured her back which resulted in surgery, and she is in the nursing home for awhile to recuperate and get physical therapy. 

The level of care is just above pathetic, in my mind.  I don't want to go into great detail, but suffice it to say that I could probably do better myself, and I am not exaggerating.  My wife and I are both only children, so she is the only person available to help, which has consequently been a lot of weight for her to carry, and it affects me almost as much, since I love my mother-in-law and my wife, and I can't stand to see either of them suffer.

Business for October is somewhat slow (I know - cry me a river, Crouch, right?), and money remains relatively tight for us.  My site suddenly dropped in the rankings on Yahoo today, although I think I know why and I am hoping that I fixed it, but it may take a few days to find out. 

When I was on my way to the office, I got a call from my business partner informing me that one of our agents quit (no notice, no meeting, no phone call).  Her stuff was cleaned out of her desk and cubicle.  I was really angry about this, especially since she knew that this is one of the few things that offends me (i.e. someone leaving without a face-to-face meeting or even a phone call). 

I guess it just seems so unprofessional and disrespectful to me, and it seems unnecessary since I have never once reacted angrily toward anyone leaving our company.  Also, I usually don't try to talk them out of it if their mind is made up.  I have had several of these meetings, and they are generally brief and cordial, and everyone moves on.  In fact, one of our agents recently left in this way, and I told him that the door was open if he ever wanted to come back.  As it turns out, he did return after a few weeks.

At any rate, I went to lunch with a friend of mine, and he informed me that a mutual friend of ours was diagnosed with active cancer yesterday (again) .  This friend, who is only in his late 40's, is someone that I care deeply about, and he has been a mentor of mine for years.  He underwent full treatment for throat cancer a few months ago, then he was declared cancer-free.  After he got a clean bill of health, he and his wife bought a home and I served as their agent about two months ago.  The fact that he already has another round to deal with seems unfair and scary, and I hope and pray that things go smoothly this time.  He is going to be transferred to MD Anderson later this week.  My friend is one of the most relentlessly faithful and positive men that I have ever known.

My first reaction was to think, "How much can happen to me today?"  It just seemed overwhelming.  Shortly thereafter, I realized that God was trying to tell me something with the news about my friend.  I actually have a lot to be thankful for right now - my health, my wife, my kids, my home, a loving family, good friends, and so much more.  Why am I focusing on the negatives?  Well, probably because it is human nature, but that's really no excuse. 

I decided not to worry so much about these temporary setbacks today, and the remainder of my day was better.  I showed a home this evening for the second time, and the buyers want to write an offer tomorrow.  I have a good feeling that it will be a far better day.