Reflecting on Everyday Things Part 6
April 12, 2026
Reflections on Everyday Things Part 6
The most inspiring stories do not always come from famous people or grand stages. They happen in ordinary moments, like during a phone call in the middle of a workday, in a quiet act of forgiveness, or in the steady courage of someone who keeps going.
Several years ago, while I was at my office, the phone rang. It was my young friend Johnny. His voice was different from his usual cheerful tone. Something was wrong.
“I need to let you know we’re at the Children’s Hospital right now,” he said quietly. “Seth collapsed at school. The doctors just told us it is leukemia.”
Seth, Johnny’s son, was barely a teenager at the time, a bright and lovable young man. Johnny paused and then in tears added, “I just need to talk.” And so, we did.
Johnny’s life had never been easy. His mother struggled with chronic mental illness. She was a loving mother, and there was a willing stepfather, but there were long stretches when her illness took her away, and Johnny had to grow up faster than most children. During his mother’s hospitalizations and uncertainty, he often had to take the wheel of his own life far earlier than a child should.
Johnny never knew his biological father. He had left before he was born. Imagine growing up in a small community knowing your father lives nearby, yet never comes to see you, never reaches out, and never knows you. Johnny once told me, “My biological father had to ride past our house, to get to his. As a boy, I saw him almost daily ride by in his car and he never stopped, not once!”
But Johnny did not allow that rejection to define him. He pulled himself up by his bootstraps and built a life with his own two hands. He became independent. He worked hard for everything he has. He married and became a wonderful husband and parent.
A few years ago, his biological father died. Johnny attended the funeral. When I asked him why he went, his answer was simple and profound.
“Maybe he wasn’t my father in the sense of raising me,” Johnny said. “But he helped bring me here, and I am thankful for that. The least I can do is pay my respects.”
Johnny once worked as a supervisor at the nearby Honda plant. Today, he owns his own successful maintenance business. He can fix just about anything. For more than twenty years, besides being our dear friend, he has helped us with things around our home and yard that we cannot do ourselves.
His family has become dear to us. But the real gift Johnny gives cannot be paid for. It is the inspiration of his life. He shows us what it looks like to move forward with joy, even after loss…. To keep your heart open, even when life has given you reasons to close it.
Whenever we are together, a certain spirit seems to surround us. Before long, we are telling funny stories, laughing, and sharing experiences. Our worlds may be different. We are of different ages, with different backgrounds and accents, and we have different levels of education, but none of that matters. What binds us together are the things that truly matter.
And there is more good news to this story. Seth overcame leukemia. Today, he is healthy and has just married. Johnny has been a faithful father who gave his children what he himself did not have. To say he gave them more than he received is an understatement. That is something I deeply admire.
Spiritual practice and self-inquiry: What qualities of your soul have you expressed—even though no one taught them to you, and no one modeled them for you? Perhaps resilience. Perhaps forgiveness. Perhaps kindness, courage, or faith. Write a prayer of thanksgiving for those hidden strengths within you.
Prayer:
Dear God, For Johnny, and for all the “Johnnys” across the world— those quiet souls who naturally live out the goodness of the human spirit— I give you thanks and praise. Amen.
