MAKE the special effort.....

There was a lady who worked in the same building where I worked.  We exchanged pleasantries "Good Morning!", etc. but that was it.  We really didn't know much about one another.

One day last year when the building was EMPTY except for Marilyn (not her real name) and I.....I heard a horrible crash and an "oh!" afterwards.  The noise was so deafening that I thought a huge tree had fallen on the building (which, in retrospect was dumb, as there are no trees nearby!).....something made me run towards Marilyn's office.  There she was on the floor.....writhing in pain, unable to move.  The manner in which her arm lied in an unnatural position on the floor, I knew SOMETHING was broken.  I also knew better than to PULL her up (or it might damage her more).  She's a very, very stubborn woman.  I tried to call her an ambulance, she wouldn't hear of it.  There was no way I would leave her all alone in that building by herself just lying on the floor.....who DOES that to a fellow human being?  She argued and argued with me about calling an ambulance.  FINALLY - she said she would let me take her to hospital IF I drove her car.  I said "No, Marilyn, you have a brand new car and I really would rather not drive it.  We'll go in my mini-van."  Reluctantly, she agreed and somehow pulled herself up (I offered only an arm and shoulder to lean on as I remember from First Aid training never to PULL someone up).  We rode down the elevator and I got her safely in my mini-van....and drove to ER (Emergency Room).

That was a smart move because she had fractured her shoulder.  The ER doctor took xrays and referred her to a specialist.  She is quite a determined woman because she wanted to go BACK to work that afternoon!  Also, she kept wanting to PAY me.  How can a human being accept money for doing what every human SHOULD do?

Gradually, we became friends and shared many things together.  I accept her as she is (and she accepts me as I am).  I was just now thinking that sometimes it takes a tragedy before people make friends.  That's a real shame.  We should make the special effort more often to get to know others and offer a helping hand or even a rose of friendship.

There are many, many people in this world like Marilyn, who live alone, who are used to doing things a certain way (and comfortably so) but then an accident happens to change their world, and the least we can do is be there to help.

We need to be attentive to the needs of fellow human beings.  In my religion we believe that God can DWELL within any stranger and one never knows which one....so treat each and every person like God and He will be happy.  Make the special effort to get to know someone who is alone, lonely (there is a difference between alone & lonely)....make the effort to get to know someone who is physically or mentally challenged; make the effort to get to know someone who is of a different race, religion or culture (you never know what you might learn!).  Embrace humanity....it's a GIFT.