Article April 2, 2012 Issue

When you find out

Nate Talbot

It was Christmas morning and all the presents under the tree had been unwrapped. I was just a kid and feeling a little sad. A gift I’d been expecting to receive for a long time was nowhere in sight. And then I found out why. I learned that my parents had hidden it away and wanted me to be surprised.

You’ve probably had times when you found out something that really brought you alive. Perhaps being asked out on a date you’d hoped for. Maybe a job offer comes through. A couple finds out the wife is expecting their first child—or that you’re expecting your first grandchild! Surprises can be such bright spots in the course of ordinary life.

And yet, there can be other kinds of surprises that tend to darken instead of brighten. Like my friend who found out from his doctor that he had a terminal disease. He was advised to put his affairs in order since he had only a few months left to live.