Friday, September 30, 2016

The Hope Box


In 2002 I presented a close colleague of mine a small token of my appreciation for our friendship in the form of a jewelry-sized Hope Box.  I placed a note in it and told him that no matter where our careers took us, I hoped that our friendship would never die.

Fast forward to 2016.  The Hope Box was long forgotten by me.  While in his office on a recent visit he placed it in front of me and asked if I remembered giving it to him all those years ago.  I honestly couldn’t recall the moment when I did, but the hand written note inside was definitely penned by me.  Below my note he wrote one of his own.  In so many words, he told me that he was thankful for our friendship and thanked God for all He’s done to keep us close over the years.

Back then, the Hope Box was nothing more to me than a show of gratitude to a man whose friendship I always cherished.  Never in my wildest dreams would I have imagined that the Hope Box and the note inside would one day symbolize that we would be working together again.

In 2002 I left my teaching job, for a trainer position with the federal government.  My friend was the building principal at the time of my departure.  He and I spoke often over the years, keeping track of our families, our ups and downs, and our shared interests.  Both of our careers progressed – he to California to serve as the superintendent of schools for a large, private Christian school, and me to Washington, DC as an deputy training director, then on to Texas and into the private sector as a process improvement engineer.

In 2012 my friend returned from California, accepting the position of superintendent for the same school we worked together at in 2002.  Over the next four years he and I spoke on several occasions about the possibility of me returning from Texas and coming to work for him again in some capacity or other.  Little did either of us know that in 2016 I would accept a position from the church organization that now partners full time with his school.  As in 2002, he and I will once again be working together side by side.

Throughout the years the Hope Box has come to mean far more than a simple gift and token of appreciation.  The Hope Box was a means that God used to keep my friend and I bonded.  I’d also like to that the It somehow had a part in bringing us back together in a working capacity.  The Hope Box has helped me realize that each of our lives run full circle. 

So, where is your “Hope Box?”  Trust me, I know it’s out there…..

A Common Man

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