Pay It Forward

Last night I had a date with an 18 month old.  We read Goodnight Moon and shared some milk.  He wore footy pajamas and I donned a red hat...which provided much conversation during coloring time.  We had a lot of fun.  He, obviously, went to bed pretty early, so I read a lot about the circuitry in hearing aids.  It was a thrill.

His parents returned shortly after ten.  I told them what a nice boy he was, and other than the initial cry he let out when I walked in the door...his manners were pretty great too.  As I departed, I looked out and saw my car parked in the street.  Naturally, under a mound of snow.  I knew, without a doubt, I was stuck.  But, I prayed all the way to my car that I would be able to get out.

I get in and start trying.  No luck.  Right when I was about to walk back to their house for help, I see this man coming up from behind my car...but he was really...I guess "swung out" in the street from my actual car...so I could see him and not think he was a rapist.  He did have a shovel, so it could have turned out badly...but no he was there to save me.

His wife was inside doing laundry and she looked out and saw that I was having trouble.  He came out and shoveled snow.  Tried to dig my car out.  No luck because  I was on a snow covered patch of ice.  He tried pushing me out and then I looked back and saw his wife had come out too.  I let him try to drive it, but I was really stuck.  He went in to get some hot water and salt.  In that time, his wife and I started talking.  They were from the South.  Went to school in Alabama.  Her sister went to Ole Miss.  I guarantee you we would have figured out a mutual friend if I had been there any longer.  I just kept saying, "I feel so bad, but I am so thankful you are here!".  Just over and over.  After  a HUGE glass of salt, three pitchers of scalding hot water on my tires, and a push from MC and R...I was out.

I jumped out of my car and hugged them both.  Thanked them for the five hundredth time and promised a special happy when I return later in the week to keep the baby again.  They said, "Please, no.  We are all in this together".

Yeah, we are.  I am so grateful for them.  If they hadn't seen my out there, I could have been stuck all night.  On the other hand, they could have turned a blind eye and went on to fold laundry, or watch TV, or do whatever they do at 10:30 at night.  They didn't though.  They helped without expecting something in return.  They helped a perfect stranger.

I think some times it's easy for us to just turn the other way.  I know I'm guilty.  It's easy to just keep on going with the motions.  Break out of that.  I challenge you this week to do something for someone else....someone who is in need.  Keep your eyes open.  Big or small.  Be proactive.  Do something.

You never know when you might be helping a helpless Southern girl get her car out of the snow.  She might just be so touched that she writes a blog post about you.  You might touch her so deeply that she feels led to pass it on.

We're all in this together.

Pay it forward.