After many months of work, an artist finally finished his masterpiece. The painting depicts a man waiting outside a door late at night, holding a lantern to illuminate his way. The artist was pleased with his work and entered a worldwide art competition.

Over three years ago, I sent the following anonymous story to my colleagues with mixed results.

Many people cried; some people said nothing; a few wrote to relate how this story gave them a new perspective on life, and one person vowed never to take any chance meeting for granted.