Pain and strength

I met somebody who I've only been communicated through emails fro the first time yesterday. She came over to talk to my boss about the prospect of getting a job at my institution. She struck me as a calm, gentle but strong lady.

I accidentally made her miss her appointment, having kept her a few minutes longer than I should have in my office. But it turned out to be a good thing. At least for me. I got to talk to her and learnt that she's a widow who had been through an ordeal of watching her husband painfully died of cancer. He was bedridden for nine months, a long, agonizing process to him and his loved ones.

I could only imagine the pain she must have gone through. She and her six young children then. And I learned another lesson in life- that pain can keep the family together, and make them strong.