This morning, I received a call from a
listener. She prefaced our conversation by saying she has a medical
issue that causes a speech impediment. She spoke slowly, to make sure
every word said was as clear as possible.
A dear friend and co-worker of hers had
passed away recently from an overdose. She has been asked to speak at
his funeral, and needed some help with recalling a song they used to
sing together, “We Are The World” by USA for Africa. The two
worked at a restaurant – she as a waitress, he as a cook. After the
restaurant closed and they were cleaning up the business for the
night, he would sing the song, she would join in, and it became a
bonding thing for them.
She asked for details on the song,
which I provided. She then began to tell me a story. I was in the
middle of my radio show, and knew I needed to get on the air to say
something in between songs, but I felt I needed to keep her on the
air. Something in my head told me to hear her out, so I just kept
playing music while she began her story.
Again, speaking slowly, she told me
about how she has very limited funds, and was able to finally be able
to buy a second-hand coat to keep her warm. Shortly after obtaining
her coat, she came across someone on the street with a leg injury and
no coat. She gave a total stranger the coat off of her back.
Her cadence quickened as the
conversation began to wrap up. She then thanked me profusely for
helping her out with the song she needed information on. What she
said next made my day.
“You may think your just doing a
'job', but you help me to get out of bed, get out there, and do
something good,” she said. She added the my station and I help her
to keep going every day.
About a half-hour after our
conversation, she called back, asking me if I could play “We Are
The World” for her. I did right away. A few minutes afterward, she
called back, crying for the loss of her friend, and thanked me for
helping her grieve for her friend.
It's experiences like this that are so
humbling and inspiring for me. I try to make sure my radio show is
free from negativity, is as positive and fun for everyone as
possible, and (as you may know) I end every program with a story of
people doing good things for others. I'm not on a mission to change
people's lives, but – every once in a while – I hear that we are
doing something positive. That makes it all the more worthwhile for
me.
