Stories of Kindness from Around the World

In September of 2005, during Hurricane Rita, I learned the importance of family and sharing. 

We were located in an area that was safe from the hurricane but my great-grandmother was not. At that time she was 80 years old and suffered from arthritis so even though she still had her mobility it was limited. I could not believe it when I heard my mother say we were going to Louisiana. That was the same place that the hurricane was heading for! So, I asked why and she told me it was because she did not want my great grandmother to be alone and there was no way to get her to us - so we had to go to her.

It moved me to see that my mother was willing to put herself in harm’s way to make sure her mother was not alone at such a scary time. 

So we got ready for the long drive. I packed plenty of water but something told me to pack more than we really needed, and I listened. On a regular day it would take 3 hrs to get to our destination but on this day it took us 16 hours.

At one point there was a car that was driving alongside of us. Since traffic was bumper to bumper I could see there was a woman in the neighbouring car who looked to be in pretty bad shape. She looked like she was over-heating. I asked my parents to let me out and I went to check on this woman her.

It turns out she had high blood pressure and diabetes. She had not taken her medicine for a while because they had run out of water. I remembered the extra water I had packed and handed some over. The husband thanked me with tears in his eyes; he said he had been worried about his wife. They had been trying to get some water for over three hours. The woman looked at me and  and said, “Thank God for little angels like you. You saved my life!” I watched her take her medicine and said a little prayer for her as I got back in the car.

When we got to our destination my great-grandmother was waiting for us and was prepared for the hurricane, but we didn’t need her preparations or ours. As we watched the news that night we heard that the hurricane shifted directions and was no longer headed our way! 

Now that, for me, is a powerful example of "a blessing given is a blessing received."