How Feeling Everything Teaches Us to Lift Each Other Up
I’ve come to believe that we don’t just show up in this world by chance.
I think we choose to come here — to feel every emotion possible.
Joy and pain.
Love and heartbreak.
Anger, peace, grief, hope, empathy, compassion — all of it.
These emotions don’t just shape us; they teach us how to see others more clearly. When you’ve lived through something deeply, you recognize that same emotion in a stranger’s face, in their body language, or even in their energy. It’s like you gain a higher sensitivity — an intuitive awareness that connects you to people before they ever speak a word.
And I think that’s the real purpose of being here:
We’re meant to help one another.
Not always in dramatic ways — but in small, powerful moments that send ripples through people’s lives for years.
I’ve seen this truth show up in my work, in my personal journey, and especially in the people who walk into my shop.
The Lesson Katie Taught Me About Noticing People
Years ago, when I was Director of Finance & Admitting/PFS, I worked with a young woman named Katie. She was an admitting clerk — the kind of job most people overlook. But not Katie.
She had this spark in her eye.
A softness.
A natural ability to tune in to people who were scared or overwhelmed.
Patients loved her.
Nurses trusted her.
Doctors sought her out.
She just knew how to meet people where they were.
One month into overseeing the department, I pulled her aside.
“Would you like to step into a manager position?”
She’d been an admitting clerk for four years and no one had ever asked her that. But the look on her face — shock, excitement, gratitude — told me everything.
She accepted the position.
I mentored her.
She grew.
And a few years later, even after I had transferred to another hospital, I learned she had become Director of the entire department.
If I hadn’t lived through my own difficult emotions — if I hadn’t learned how to recognize quiet strength and hidden potential — I might have overlooked her.
Instead, noticing her changed her entire career.
And she went on to change countless others.
The Universe Confirms Your Purpose When You’re Paying Attention
In my shop today, I see similar moments — reminders that I’m on the right path, even when life feels heavy or confusing. Sometimes these moments come in soft, subtle ways. Sometimes they hit me like lightning.
One afternoon, last week, a woman walked in with her boyfriend.
The moment she turned the corner, I froze.
She looked exactly like my estranged sister-in-law.
Not just a little.
Like the universe held up a mirror from another chapter of my life.
Her face.
Her energy.
Her demeanor.
It was all so familiar it felt spiritual.
Like someone I hadn’t seen in years had suddenly materialized as a stranger — but somehow not a stranger at all.
She connected with me immediately.
There was warmth, recognition, and something deeper — like the universe was saying:
“You’re not lost. You’re aligned. Keep going.”
Moments like that don’t happen by accident.
They’re signs — confirmations that your emotional journey hasn’t been pointless. That your suffering, your sensitivity, your compassion… all of it is being used in ways you may not fully understand yet.
Because when you can recognize a familiar soul in a stranger, or feel someone’s sadness before they speak, or brighten someone’s day with the smallest gesture… that’s purpose.
That’s connection.
That’s why we’re here.
Small Acts, Big Ripples
As I've mentioned in previous blogs, we underestimate how much one act of kindness can change someone’s life.
A ride to the store.
A steady voice during a scary moment.
A patient explanation.
A compliment someone hasn’t heard in years.
A moment of grace when everyone else is judging.
These tiny acts create ripples that move through people for decades.
Katie’s promotion changed her life.
Your kindness to strangers shapes them more than you know.
And the people who walk into your shop aren’t random — they’re part of a bigger tapestry you’re woven into.
Your emotional experiences made you someone who can see people.
Really see them.
And because of that awareness, you lift people up in ways you may never fully know.
That’s what this life is about:
Feeling everything.
Recognizing it in others.
And choosing to help.
Even in the smallest ways.
Because those small moments often become the moments that change everything.
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