Face it, most of us will judge other people we see each day, if not with our mouths then in our heads.
It’s a part of being human, I guess; drawing presumptions and conclusions based on what you observe. Obviously the vast majority of us don’t voice our thoughts, but to deny we have them is to lie to ourselves.
Most of the time we brush thoughts off and continue with our day. One man, however, decided to go one step further, and in a most distasteful way.
Dad Brent Gehring took his family out for dinner one night expecting a relatively uneventful evening. Brent has been forced to watch his 6-year-old daughter Emma battle cancer for most of her life – she’s already completed multiple rounds of chemotherapy.
So you can imagine his dismay when a stranger yelled at him to stop carrying her and make the girl walk (she’s too weak to walk without the use of a walker).
Instead of responding with anger, however, Brent decided to teach the man the error of his ways with a rather special comeback …
For Brent, watching his daughter bravely fight cancer is a difficult thing. She’d been preparing herself for her seventh round of chemotherapy to combat a brain tumor when Brent decided to treat them both to a special dinner at Union Oyster House in Boston, Massachusetts. After the meal, Brent left the restaurant and carried Emma across the street.
However, as he held his frail daughter in his arms, a man screamed at him: “What the F*+k?. Make her walk. That’s what is wrong with kids today.”
Brent was floored by the man’s aggression.
“I had a choice to make at that time,” Brent said. “Can I make myself feel better by screaming at him or can I teach him something about life?”
Brent decided to do the more difficult thing and came back with a response that left the man dumbstruck.
“My daughter has been carrying my faith and my strength for the past 5 years since she was diagnosed with a brain tumor,” he told the man. “She can’t walk but I am happy to carry her because of all the amazing things she has taught me through the years. So I would advise you not to address my daughter in any way other than respectful.
“I won’t tell you the rest of the story but it ended with two grown men with tears rolling down their faces,” Brent wrote in a Facebook post about the incident.
“One that needed to have his eyes opened to what real life and real love is and one that is always needing a reminder that good can come from any situation.
“What I am asking is for a change in today’s world… a change in the way we think. The world is what we as people make it. We have the power to make days better or worse for others. I choose to attempt to make lives better.
“This story is only important if it serves as a reminder that you don’t always know the whole story so don’t judge others,” he added. “You have the power to make people’s days better or worse. What did you do today?? What will you do tomorrow??
“I promise you this through hell and high water Emma has made each and every day of my life a blessing. I praise God for bringing her into my life. Emma you are perfect just as you are and we will help carry you through chemo #7.”
What an amazing dad Brent is! A true role model.
Please share to help support brave Emma’s battle. Share to support a magnificent father trying to change the world for the better.
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