It could always be worse!

Last year, I had some serious personal problems with which I needed some help.
It was as if my world was about to end with this serious personal problem. So I headed towards our mosque in St. Louis to seek some advice from the imam.
When I arrived, I noticed a young man in the lobby just waiting in line like I was.
I went in the office talked about my problem, got some ideas, and then before I left the imam asked: "Do you know anyone who could help the gentleman in the lobby?"
"What kind of help does he need?" I asked.

"Well, he is a refugee from Iraq and has no place to stay. He can't work either because his work permit is pending approval." explained the imam.

After some more inquiries I discovered that this gentleman was an engineer in Iraq. When the coalition forces attacked, he decided to flee his home to a safer place. So he got his four kids and wife in the car and hit the road.
On the way, he noticed some tanks. He stopped the car and waited for instructions because he didn’t want to alarm the soldiers or pose any threat. The tanks opened fire on his car, killing all of his children (oldest one was 9 years old), crippling his leg and seriously injuring his wife. The soldiers were only following rules of engagement and had no idea that there were kids in the car. This man and his family were perceived as security threat on their own land (and yeah, it's the Iranian government that is causing problems??!!).

While the imam was explaining his ordeal, I thought to myself: "And I thought that I had a serious problem?!" I felt like such a wimp. So I rushed outside and greeted him by saying: "I am sorry about your loss, it is so tragic."
He smiled and said: "It's OK, it could always be worse"!
His optimism, calm and sense of forgiveness changed how I viewed my problems for the rest of my life.

To read an update on his status and story, visit:
http://www.countercurrents.org/iraq-vulliamy060703.htm
(Scroll down to Daham's story)
and
http://www.cnn.com/2006/US/01/20/crowley.btsc/index.html