Stories of Kindness from Around the World

A Powerful Tool


--by servicespace , posted Jan 19, 2013
One of my next-door neighbors is a sweet and frail-looking grandmotherly 92-year-old Polish lady who lives with three cats. She is a Holocaust survivor (and with due respect does not talk about that traumatic time), and has a daughter and grand-daughter who visit her every week.  She oftentimes brings us cherry tomatoes, comes over for chai, loves mangoes, and is in general a very sweet person.

A few months ago, my friend and I drove down to LA to attend a dear friend's wedding, and came back home to the Bay Area the next evening.  As I was unpacking my clothes in my room, I heard a persistent, frantic knock on the door.  It was 10:30pm, and I wasn't sure who it could be.  I went downstairs and looked through the peephole, and saw that it was our sweet next-door neighbor.

I quickly opened the door, and she seemed really distressed and kept repeating, "Please help me, I need your help.  The fire alarm won't go off.  It's frightening me.  Please help me."  I immediately told her that everything would be okay, and accompanied her to her house to see what was going on with the fire alarm.  

She mentioned that the alarm had been going on and off inconsistently for the past two hours (with no noticeable reason/fire/smoke), and that her attempts to call her son-in-law to come and fix it were fruitless.  So I took a chair from her dining room table, climbed it, looked at the fire alarm, and she somehow produced and handed over a screwdriver.  It was at that time that I saw her numerical tattoo that ran across her exposed right wrist -- a feeling of dread overcame me, but I soon composed myself to get the fire alarm off.

After twisting the fire alarm off, I blew into it (sometimes dust accumulation or low battery causes it to make strange noises).  She seemed relieved but was literally shaking out of fear.  I asked her if she was okay, and she said she was afraid, so I gave her a hug.  I felt her shaking in my embrace, and held her tight for a few minutes until she stopped shaking and sighed a breath of relief. 

It was a very intense experience, and something that I felt very privileged and humbled to witness -- the vulnerability of someone who was indeed very scared. Although I couldn't even imagine what it must have been like to be in a concentration camp (and what I feel must have been a trigger with the fire alarm), the experience allowed me to use a simple hug as a good and powerful way to hold someone going through a difficult period.  We then sat down and talked for ten minutes, until I felt that she was okay, and safe to sleep.  She was so generous with her gratitude for being with her, but I thank her for reminding me that hugs are indeed powerful tools!
 
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Readers Comments

jsmc10 wrote: Bless her, hugs are indeed powerful tools, thanks for sharing :)
lcmiddlesworth wrote: What a wonderful store of love and kindness. Bless you for helping your lovely neighbor.
touched wrote: I love this story! I just learned that a hug is the most powerful thing that you want to use.
cassirose wrote: I'll ditto what 'touched' wrote.
Thaata wrote: Physical contact is what gives us sense of security - whether it is a baby or an aged person or a person in distress or loss of beloved one. Hug is manifestation of that physical contact. Thanks for sharing this intense experience of yours.
Frances Colewtskw wrote: Sometimes just a hug is all that is needed to calm us down. I am so glad that jesus hugs me all the time.
buglips wrote: This story is one of those "once in a lifetime" moments of amazing connection, beauty, and healing. May you and all of us have more experiences like this!
Baxter wrote: I saw a neighbor in the store right after i found out my husband had terminal cancer. When i told her, she said nothing but gave me a long, wonderful hug. Sometimes, hugs are much better than words. You did a beautiful thing!
Mish wrote: If we were together i would give you a great big hug! Hugs are wonderful acts of kindness & sometimes that is just what the person needs. Blessed be & bless your neighbor too. Hugs :)
Cathy wrote: Wow! That is so profound and so sweet. Its also another reminder to me that i don't have to be rich to pass on a simple but powerful act of kindness.

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