Words of Encouragement

by Karen Pickering

Monday was a particularly difficult day. Coming back to the office after two holiday weekends can be a challenge. I don’t think Mondays are ever easy as we struggle to get jumpstarted for the coming week, and this week was just more difficult than normal. As I fought back the urge to focus on the state of the economy—which I’m tired of hearing about, talking about and trying to figure out—my day was interrupted by a special phone call.

The voice on the other end of the phone was responding to the Christmas letter I sent out a few weeks ago. I had shared some of the challenges this past year had brought me; the letter, for me, was closure on a year I don’t wish to repeat. A very wise but energetic voice counseled me about what I had been through and told me a story that gave me some perspective.

One of my friend's cousin’s sons was traveling to a holiday get-together with his young family. He became confused about where he was going and made a split second decision that ended his life and changed the lives of his family members forever. Suddenly my problems didn’t seem so bad.

Feeling a little ashamed at how I had sensationalized my sad little story of 2009, I listened intently as she shared with me some very valuable lessons she had learned in her lifetime. She graduated from college in 1963 and started her own ad agency. She never settled. She always expected the best, worked with the best and never compromised her values. She shared with me many ideas that had worked well for her over the years in her business, even in the face of past economic difficulties.

She ended the conversation with words of encouragement. Most encouraging of all was the fact that she had felt moved to call me in the first place—it couldn’t have come at a better time. Her advice and positive feedback gave me the push I needed to persevere.

You never know how you might impact someone with a few kind words and helpful suggestions or a simple reminder of all there is to be thankful for. I am working in the industry I love and doing what I was meant to do. I only hope that one day I can encourage someone and give back the kind of hope and value this wonderful woman has given me.

Thank you, my friend, for this gift.