My Friend, Kai

Since I moved into grocery and am not receiving on a regular basis, I rarely get to see Kai anymore. Kai is one of the truck drivers which deliver to our store, the one who was teaching me to speak German. Besides the weekly German lessons, we got to know each other fairly well because we would talk about our lives with each other. He knew about my court troubles with Family Maintenance and I knew about the health problems with his wife.

I saw Kai today and was very happy to catch up with him. He asked me about my court date and I told him that everything worked out and was settled. I asked him about his wife and he told me that everything was fine with her now.

Kai's wife, I still don't know her name, developed cancer in her thyroyd gland earlier this year. It was very scary for both of them and I would ask for updates every time I saw him. He would explain to me each step of the process they were going through and I would sympathize and try to support him the best that I could. It's been many weeks since I've seen him though and I was happy to hear that everything is turning out fine with her.

Kai told me today that they have changed their outlook on life. They were big on saving money and planning for the future but now they realize that it can all be over in the blink of an eye. They bought a boat and another dog and are living life for the moment rather than the future because you never know when it'll be all over.

Some other good news he told me was that she finally got a permanent job teaching grade five, which is her favourite grade to teach. Now she can stay in the same classroom and leave all of her books and teaching tools in the class next Summer rather than packing everything up every year.

What a great attitude! They have taken a very negative event in their lives and turned it into something positive. I commend them on their courage and salute them as they continue their journey through life. They plan to have children but have to put that on hold now, because of the chemo-therapy. Just a minor setback and with the attitude that they are holding, I'm positive that they'll be wonderful parents. I am so happy for them and wish them all the best in their new life.