They were seated in the courtroom, waiting for the judge to enter the room and start the proceedings.
They weren't strangers. Three brothers bound in hatred, fighting for their father's inheritance.
They hadn't spoken to each other for years. Their families hadn't spoken to each other for years.
The door opened.
The judge entered.
And took his place behind the desk on the raised platform.
The court room spectators stopped chatting.
Silence.
The judge looked up. A quiet man from Quebec city.
Judge Bard. A deeply religious man.
He addressed the protagonists.
"Brothers must not fight one another.
If you agree, we will suspend proceedings and retire to my chambers.
I will try to mediate the dispute.
If i do not succeed, everything spoken will be wiped off the record.
We will return to the courtroom and the case will proceed."
The brothers agreed.
In the judge's chambers, the brothers broke out into screaming at each other.
The judge stopped them.
"Each brother will take turns speaking.
And when he speaks, the other brothers must listen quietly."
The hours passed. The judge always quietly controlling the civility of the parties.
And the miracle happened...
For the first time in years, the brothers listened to each other.
They heard each other's pain.
They responded with love.
And they walked out, arm in arm. A family reunited.
Everyone in the room overwhelmed by their tears witnessing the humanity bonding the brothers.
Judge Bard. A great great man.
POSTCRIPT:
A few months later, the brothers, once again overwhelmed, but this time by habits ingrained over a lifetime, reverted back to hatred.
Alas.
It was a brief moment in time.
But a very precious moment in time.
It was a moment in time that touched the lives of every one else in the judge's chambers.
And remained with them for a lifetime.
