“ Yes, mum,” he said, feeling sorry for himself.
“ She called me and told me that she left.”
Sam was silent for a minute, trying to hold back his tears.
“ Sam, are you there?” the mom asked.
“ Yes, mum, I’m listening.”
“ Son, just because your wife left you doesn’t mean your life is over,” the mom comforted him.
“ Mom, not only did she take with her my little boy David, but she also called me a failure. Am I a failure, mom?”
“ Of course not. Don’t believe Betty. She is a greedy and ungrateful girl. Your relationship went south when you lost your job. Betty forgot everything you did for her when you had your job as a salesman in that department store.”
“ My whole life is a mess, mom. I lost my job, my wife, and even my son. Maybe Betty is right; maybe I’m a failure,” Sam said.
“ Never call yourself a failure, do you hear me?”
“ But…,” Sam tried to explain when his mom cut him off.
“ There is no but, Sam. Come home, my son. Come spend some time with me; You need to rest,” she advised.
At first, Sam didn’t want to see his mom. He felt embarrassed and ashamed. Even if his mom refuses to admit it, losing his job and family was humiliating. He finally decided to drive to Croydon, New Hampshire, and spend a few days with her. Sam and Betty have been married for six years. They have a son, David, born a year after their wedding. Since the family didn’t have enough money to afford daycare, Betty stayed at home to raise their child. A year ago, Sam lost his job. No money was coming in. They lived off their savings until they got nothing left. Sam struggled to pay the bill and keep food at the table. One day, he didn’t have money to buy David’s diapers. That pissed Betty off. Seeing no hope on the horizon, she decided to leave her husband, Sam.
On a Saturday afternoon, Sam dropped off his mother at the knitters club, parked the car, and walked to a nearby park. The place was teeming with people. Sam sat alone on a bench on the east side of the park. Looking at families having a picnic reminded him of his wife Betty and his son David. He missed them. Sam thought of them when he heard, “ Overcomer, could you please throw the ball to me?” Sam looked around, confused.
“ I’m talking to you,” a father playing with his son said. “ Look under the bench; the ball is there,” he shouted. Sam bent down, took the ball, and threw it to them.
Overcomer, Sam said to himself. Why did this man call me overcomer, Sam asked himself. Intrigued by this unusual name, he approached the man and asked him, “ Excuse me, why did you call me overcomer?” The man told his son to go and play with his friend and answered, “ I’m Fred; how are you?” “ My name is Sam.”
“ Nice to meet you, overcomer Sam,” Fred said with a smile.
“ Why do you call me overcomer when you don’t know me,” Sam replied.
“ You are an overcomer. Even if you are not aware of it,” Fred insisted. He patted Sam on his shoulder and added, “ Here is my card. Meet me tomorrow at my workshop for a coffee .”
Sam didn’t share a word of his encounter with Fred with his mother. The following day at 10 o’clock, he was at Fred’s workshop. The place was neat and well organized. He got beautiful paintings displayed on the wall and on the other side music from some album art collection. There was a drum and a piano at the entrance to the left of the door. Fred was busy with customers. Sam took a chair, sat behind the piano, and started playing. People at the workshop were so impressed by the melody that they stopped shopping and watched him play.
“ This is what I’ m talking about, ”Fred said. Then the crowd clapped to cheer him up.
When the customers left, Fred said to Sam, “ Now you understand why I call you overcomer, don’t you?”
“ To be honest, I still don’t understand,” Sam admitted.
“ An overcomer is a person who prevails despite difficulties.”
“ But how do you know that I will prevail?”
“ Because you have what it takes to prevail,” Fred declared.
“ What is it?” Sam asked.
“ It’s your gift. Do you know that frustration, lack of respect, and poverty result from you not using your gift? Do you know that your gift will make room for you and give you access to important people?” Fred asked.
“ I don’t think I can make a living from playing the piano,” Sam said.
“ Yes, you can. Do you hear me? Yes, you can.”
“ How?” Sam asked skeptically.
“ Do you use Social Media?” Fred asked.
“ Of course, I do.”
“ Good. Here is a strategy. Every day, record a two minutes video of you playing the piano. Then post the video on Social media.”
Sam followed the advice. Six months later, he made history. His videos got millions of views, creating opportunities with music companies and partnerships with well-known singers. Sam’s life changed.
Yes, You can.