Everybody has a story!

Today a revelation struck me like a flash of lightning-Everybody has a story.
I had a encounter with a very grumpy, outspoken, filthy talking, abrasive, and cynical woman. She spilled unkind and hurtful words from her mouth because of what seemed to be a small set-back. I had delayed her for her appointment by 5 minutes, and because of this she was livid and even asked for the spelling of my name so that she could file a report with my institution for the delay in her day. Her over-reaction seemed strange, however after speaking with her I learned "Her Story." She was born to mute parents who were resentful and heartbroken that she was not a male, she explained to me that her mother miscarried a male fetus prior to her birth. Her father had hoped for a boy in hopes that he could help with the financial burdens of the family by laboring on their farm. From the first year of her life until she was 17yrs old her father made it very clear to her that she was not suitable for his needs by physically abusing her in a horrific fashion, even sending her down a flight of stairs and knocking her unconscious. After hearing just a glimpse of her childhood I was instantly aware of why this woman is bitter, abrupt, and rude-it is not that she desired to be this way-I believe it is her childhood circumstances that hardened her heart. Somewhere inside that heart of hers is still a soft ventricle, and by the end of our encounter she hugged me twice, apologized for her behavior, and thanked me for talking with her when in reality the only words I uttered during my time with her was "I'm sorry." She did not desire an explanation to my tardiness all she wanted was some human compassion-and for someone to listen to her story. We all have a story, a book, or a least a page to a story still being written. There is a reason the person who cut you off on the freeway shouts profanity's at you, or why the person standing on the off-ramp half sober needs a meal or a drink. I bet if we stop to listen to each other-we could learn about the novels of each other's lives.