Standing behind a elderly woman at a grocery check-out when I was in Florida recently, I picked up a gift card that had accidentally slipped out of her hands - hands that were trying to keep her steady on her walker as she attempted to remove contents from her wallet - and fallen to the floor. As I handed the card back to her, she turned to me and in a sweet but frail voice looked me right in the eyes and said,"Thank you so much. You'll know how much I appreciate this when you get to be my age." Her words sent shivers down my spine and the unexpected gratitude touched me deeply. I think what really hit me was that I knew she was right and I wondered how many times are we confronted with a similar situation but instead of bending out of our way to help, we 'turn a blind eye' away from someone else's struggles?
And so the other day, when I heard about the 79-yr-old man who was robbed and beaten by two 20-yr-old lowlife scumbags on a Toronto subway platform while people just stood by and watched, I shuddered at his helplessness. The woman's words from Florida shot through me like a lightening bolt and I almost cried at the thought of this poor defenseless man who would have appreciated a stranger's help but instead, none came!
There are many small ways that we can extend a helping hand which will make a big difference in someone else's life - and doing so has an incredible power to make you feel good. Whether it's helping someone in distress, volunteering at a local shelter, or something as simple as holding open a door, just remember the ole' lady's words and that sooner or later each of us will find ourselves in a situation where we can use a helping hand... and hopefully it won't be as dire as the 79-yr-old man's.
5 down, 95 to go!
No comments:
Post a Comment