I was fifteen years old when my dad called and told me that his partner John died of AIDS.
I was watching Family Ties and didn’t give him my full attention.
He was crying and pouring his heart out to me, and all I could do was mumble trite condolences.
A few weeks later he wrote me a letter saying he was glad to hear me crying when he told me John died because it showed that I had matured and appreciated the gravity of the situation.
I never told my dad that I wasn’t crying, that I just had a cold and was sniffling.
My dad died of AIDS on September 29, 2000.
I miss him every day.
These days, I am very intentional about leading with empathy.
I appreciate the value of being present and witnessing someone else's truth.
And I do my best to show compassion for people.
Because I never know what another person might be going through.
And I never know if I'll get another opportunity to connect.
Maybe all someone needs when they share something with me is for me to be quiet and listen.
Yeah, I try to do that more often now.