Medical Technician Jake
I once heard a story about an emergency medical technician named Jake. One day he was asked to help a(n)
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(conscious) woman. When he arrived, she had no pulse. From her color and dilated eyes, he could tell she"d suffered serious brain damage. Still, he did his job exceptionally well, trying over and over to restart her heart. She finally
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(gain) consciousness.
Her family kept in touch with him, and
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(eventual) he learned the woman had recovered from the pain. However, she was permanently blind, paralyzed, and
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(able) to talk.
Jake thought about his decision to save her,
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(wonder) if he had thwarted nature"s plan, imposed a terrible burden on her family, and traded eternal peace for years of suffering and indignity.
His doubt
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(dark) his life for many years—until the day he received this note from the woman"s son.
"Morn died last week, and I want to thank you for
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(give) me so many extra years with her. Although at first I felt only grief, I came to be contented and gain strength from my time with her. Every day I"d hold her hand and tell her about my
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(accomplish) and problems. I could always feel her strong pulse, and I came to know that she talked to me through her heart. With every beat, she sent me love and
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(encourage). I treasured our time together."
Jake"s professional skill had restarted the
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(die) woman"s heart, and her son"s gratitude and willingness to express it had repaired Jake"s self-inflicted wound to his own heart.
The quality of our lives is determined, not so much by what we do or what"s done to us but by how we choose to think about our situation.