Life's Little Stories

Some of you know this story but most do not. I do not know how many of you may have been blessed to have met Dr. Doren Fredrickson, M.D. in the short time he walked this earth. But if you ever had a chance meeting with him, as I did, you are indeed blessed.

Dr. Fredrickson was passionate about the cause, distribution, control and prevention of disease. One of his greatest pleasures was to visit his parents' farm outside of Emporia, helping them harvest their crops and raise their cattle. Everyone who knew him, which I cannot profess I did, say he was bright, warm and caring for humanity with such fierce compassion that he left you dizzy with questioning how to use your own abilities to stem the tide of poverty and improve health care worldwide.

I met people at Trees for Life who said he devoted time to their passion, the study of the Moringa tree and how it can feed the poor. They are a Wichita based group that empowers over three million volunteers worldwide in giving a hand up to those who do not have enough to eat. Learn more about their work at http://www.treesforlife.org/

I met people who will miss him terribly yet will always remember the love he shared with his fellow man. According to friends he slept little, as he preferred to always be working toward a higher goal for the good of us all. He was a full time professor of Preventative Medicine and Public Health at the Kansas University School of Medicine- Wichita and the Health Officer of the Sedgwick County Health Department. He also was Kansas Health Foundation Distinguished Professor of Public Health.

Now, here's how I was blessed to meet him one sunny day in May. He gave an outstanding lecture on workplace wellness, a subject close to my heart. His data and research was profound and I wanted to thank him for his work. I gave him my business card and a bookmark listing 101 Reasons to Smile. He did indeed smile and asked if I had seen 25 Ways to Praise a Child. I said I had not but would love to. He said he would see if he could find a copy and send it to me.

You know how in life when those kindnesses are extended, you never expect to hear from the person, yet you are pleased that they think enough of you to mention it. Well, you can imagine my surprise when in the mail a few weeks later this lovely hand written note arrived. Oh, how I wish I had kept it. He thanked me for the research we had published on laughter in the work place. Apparently he checked out my web site, and he encouraged me to keep up the good work. Enclosed was a copy of 25 Ways to Praise a Child. It was from an organization that is no longer in business. I took that fact and the exuberance of Dr. Fredrickson's words to mean that I should reproduce and distribute bookmarks listing the 25 Ways to Praise a Child.

It took me a few weeks to get it put together and ironically the printer made an error so it took some time to get them out and a couple of more weeks before I was able to mail a few to Dr. Fredrickson with a great big thank you for his inspiration.

Unfortunately, he passed away quite unexpectedly the same day I mailed them to him, so he never got to see the finished product or read the letter. Yet, I know in my heart of hearts that he knows all about them and is smiling down from his place right next to the Almighty smiling that great big, warm smile of his with that beautiful twinkle in his eye. Thank you Doren Fredrickson.

If you would like a 25 Ways to Praise a Child  bookmark, please send me your mailing address and I will see that you receive two, one for yourself and another to share with a loved one.

Blessings do come through laughter,

Judy

P.S. Just as Dr. Doren Fredrickson lived in grace, his parents continue his tradition. When I wrote the above commentary, I was under the impression Dr. Fredrickson had not received my letter of appreciation before his passing, nor had he seen the bookmark showing the “25 Ways to Praise A Child” and it saddened me. Now, however,

I can feel much joy in knowing he did indeed see my letter and the bookmarks. His mother wrote to tell me they were lying open on his desk. She also wrote to say what a privilege it was to be his mother. Each of us must carry on Dr. Fredrickson’s great love for all of humanity and his sacred care for our planet. We were blessed to have met him.

back to E-zine list

You have received this issue because you have shown an interest in supporting laughter (in the absence of humor) in the workplace. You may unsubscribe at any time by clicking here and selecting the "send" email.

Feel free to forward this e-zine to friends and colleagues. The more we spread the word, the sooner the world will be a happier and healthier place for all of us. If you received this as a forwarded email, you can sign up for your own copy by clicking here.

Laughter is good for the soul and good for business too!