by Kathy Gates

Dr. John Gray tells the story about how his father was robbed by a hitchhiker and left in the trunk of his car. In the heat of the day, his father was unable to get out of the trunk and ultimately died of heat stroke.

After the funeral, Dr. Gray said that he felt a need to connect with his father, so he climbed into the trunk of the car, and as they closed the lid to the trunk he saw what his father had experienced. He saw where his father had reached through the rear light encasements in an effort to get air.

As he reached through the same place, his brother, outside the car, asked him to see if he could push the button. Dr. Gray reached around, pushed the button, and the trunk popped open.

He was stunned. If only their father had thought of that, he would still be alive. But it took his brother on the outside to notice the button. The lesson? Sometimes you have to step outside the situation you feel trapped in to see that you are not trapped after all.