While at a local gas station I noticed an elderly couple in a car next to ours. The lady had sunglasses on with bandages under them. The man was looking at a piece of paper while this lady started to panic. I didn’t know whether to keep minding by own business or ask if everything was okay. Both of them must have been in their 70s.
I went to the drivers side, where the man was, and asked if I could help him out with anything. I asked, who I assumed was his wife, if she was alright. She kept saying “We are lost”. The man did not appear to really understand things well either. When I spoke to him I had to lean close to his ears.
He explained to me that he was driving his wife to the eye doctor. The problem was that they were from out of town and lost. He showed me the piece of paper he was holding and I recognized the place. It was where our family went for eye care. Clear across town. I explained to him how to get there, using signal lights and right and left turns. He didn’t understand any of it. Another person came up and started to explain another direction.
I was in a hurry and was going to just take off. He has the directions so they’ll get there alright.
I know this not to be true though. I could arrive late for my appointment by driving ahead of them to the eye doctors office. I just didn’t want to. That’s when I knew that I should help. There seems to always be a point where the thought of doing something, to help someone, wants to be left to others to do. Our own struggles, in making it through each day, weren’t easy. The week before we came home to a living room soaked in water from our roof leaking. The week before our washing machine died with a loud crash.
We all have problems in life. We all get lost once in awhile. Young, old, it doesn’t matter. This lady, who had the bandages on, must really have felt lost. She could not even see. I knew it would calm them both to simply be shown the exact building. It was 20 minutes away, and 30 to get where I needed to be after.
When I suggested to the man to just follow my car he looked so grateful. His wife calmed right down and she blessed me. The feeling I felt, after taking them to the office, was like a blessing. I was able to put in better focus our own problems. Life kicks us all in the butt once in awhile. Yet there is always others that are dealing with far worse problems. A leaky roof, broken household items, isn’t what life is about. All can be repaired or replaced. This is a hard time for millions across the world. Not just in America. Some would think the wheels are coming off the wagon and there is even talk about the world soon ending in 2012. Personally I don’t think about the “what ifs” in life. All we have is the day we wake up to. After that there is no guarantees.
The Sequoia Project has become a very interesting part of our families life. It has changed our lives in many ways.
