THE OTHER SIDE OF THE TABLE

Years ago I heard a story about an executive who was called into the human resources department and invited to find success elsewhere.

The executive commented,

      “I have been on your side of the table and      fired many people in my career.  What I   
     have learned is that there are two sides to
     the table…. Today it is my turn to be on
     the other side.” 

There are many tables in life.
We often forget there are two sides to each table.  During our happiest experiences do we realize that at the exact same time it could be one of those moments of desperation for someone else?
 
A young couple I know brought a baby girl into the world a year ago. They were ecstatic to add the curly headed beauty to their family.
They were on the right side of the table.

Unfortunately, their sweet baby lived less than a month and they were forced to the other side of the table in the most devastating way. 

Happily, this week my young friends rejoiced at the birth of a baby girl who shares the same curly black hair as her sister before her.
I join their friends and family surrounding them with love and well wishes.

At the same time a longtime friend of mine passed away due to cancer.
I join her friends and family clinging to the circle of support and love which surrounds them.

I received emails and phone calls from one family sharing joyous news, while at the same time I received the most devastating messages of grief and sadness from the other.

The table stood large before me as I saw the experiences of both sides.

Pain and grief on one side.
Joy and gratitude on the other.

How often do we forget that while we sit on one side of the table that there is always someone on the other side?

My young friends today hold their new daughter marveling at her perfection while the soreness of missing their first daughter lives in their hearts.
They know what it’s like to be on both sides of the table.  

The ebb and flow, the natural order, the balance of good verses bad is part of our daily lives.
It takes the ebb to feel the flow.
It takes the bad to know the good.
It takes a backdrop of the darkness of night to see the sunrise in the morning.

Be sensitive.
Be grateful.
Be aware.

We never know when it will be our turn to sit at the other side of the table.

Pennie’s Life Lesson ~
“There's always two sides to the table.  Be grateful when you sit on the sunny side and strong when you find yourself on the shadowed side.”   

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Special thanks to Ms. Amara Beatrix Mitchell for allowing me to use her beauty shot in this post! 
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YOUR TURN...         
 I shared this with you  to encourage you look at both sides of events in life- we will all be on both sides. 
Share your thoughts and experiences relating to this post in a comment below.  And please feel free to email me  at:
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                          Thank you!  
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         This was written and produced by Pennie Hunt.
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