An unexpected call...

Sitting at my desk, the place I seem to spend more time than any other. The place where I happen to be right this very moment and the place where I sit and write my heart out when the office is dead.

The phone rings...

Of course, that is entirely normal and happens to be a big part of my job. Yes, I answer phones among MANY other daily activities and responsibilities. When the phone rings I instinctively reach out and answer with...

"Casey Roberts' State Farm Office. This is Amber, how can I help you?"

A quivering voice on the other end replied, "Hello?"

I said, "Hello, how can I help you today?"

She then proceeded to give me her name, so I could look up her policy and accurately assist her with whatever she needed.

I then said "Alright Mrs. (very hesitant and softspoken lady), what can I do for you today regarding this policy?

With bated breath and in a shaky voice she responded with, "I need you to take (17 yr old son's name) off of this policy, please?

I agreed to do so, but for rating purposes was forced to ask "why" we must take him off of the policy, and that if he is still in the household he MUST be rated on another vehicle since he is licensed and is a youthful operator.

She proceeded with, "Honey, he's not here anymore, he's not with us anymore."

My heart sank.

I knew exactly what she meant and the tone of her voice said it more clear than the words she was speaking.

At this point my mind was racing with thoughts and I could not find any words to offer her, so I simply said, "I am so so sorry".

She responded with a "Thank you darlin" and continued with "One day he was fine, making straight A's, he had a sweet girlfriend, ran track and was walking the halls of the school and then a week later, he died. He was diagnosed with Crohn's Disease and the doctors said it wasn't fatal and two weeks later, he died."

My eyes welled up with tears as I heard the break in her voice and the desperation in her words. She was aching. I felt helpless as I am simply the girl at the insurance office who is going to remove her beloved son from his auto policy at the tender age of 17 because he is now deceased. How tragic.

I offered my condolences and prayers. I sat in tears as I listened to her go on and on about how proud she was of him and how much he had ahead of him. I didn't interrupt, I didn't say I word, I simply listened. She opened her heart and broke to me and all I could do was listen.

My heart literally hurt for her.

Our conversation ended gracefully as we spoke of our faith (She is a devout Christian) but how when tested with such tragic circumstances it's often easy to have none when you need it the most.

She was an absolute sweetheart and I ache when I revert back to that call today. All day it has haunted me and I feel as though I was supposed to answer that call for a reason. I'm still unsure of what it is but perhaps it was for me to simply listen.

I may just be the girl who works at the insurance office but I sincerely felt deep, deep sadness for this mother and I desperately tried to place a face with her name but coming to the realization that we have thousands of policyholders, I was not able to come to a conclusion.

You just never know the breaking hearts you come in contact with daily at work, school, running errands and even when answering the phone.