We had a lady here that is an insurance adjuster. She came to our home and told me she had met a new friend while working the storm. When she told the lady where she was staying, the lady was so excited. She said I know of those people. Would you ask her if I could come and meet her? I would love to come and just talk with her. I said sure, she is from Alabama and her cousin’s family stayed here and she seemed to know all about us. As we began to visit I was most moved from a story she shared with me.
Normally there is so much made of race these days I try to stay away from that. I am going to make it a point to share races and you will understand the point later in the story. This is a black lady and she had a 22 year old daughter that was diagnosed with leukemia. Her daughter was far advanced in her cancer by the time she found out. She said she always looked and acted totally healthy. She never wanted anyone to know she was in stage 4 and made her mom promise not to tell the rest of the family. She was bent on not wanting anyone’s pity. Mom had completely depleted all her funds bringing her back and forth to Houston. The daughter had not been eating well but one day had an appetite for a steak and asked if they could go to Texas Roadhouse. The mom said she knew she was going to take her but she also knew she didn’t have enough money for them both to eat so she told her daughter a (permissible lie) and said I don’t feel good in my stomach I don’t want anything to eat. She said they sat there talking while her daughter ate and she noticed this older white man sitting a couple booths away from them watching them. He came over greeted them and inquired why she wasn’t eating? She once again told the permissible lie and said Oh I’m not hungry. He paused a minute then reached over and hugged her and said, you and I both know that isn’t the truth. God spoke to me and told me it was because you didn’t have enough money for you both to eat. I am here to assist you. He pulled out 10-crisp $100.00 bills and said here now order you something to eat. She broke down and just began to cry. He said I just want to help you all on your journey. She said Jenny that was nothing but God. No one but God knew this was our last money. God blessed us over and over for 11 months and my daughter was promoted to Heaven. She said I have never forgotten the divine interventions I had in those short 11 months. I wish we had known about this place back then but we didn’t. Pookie and I have had many of those experiences. There is a Country song that says, I’m gonna love you through it. That is how we have made it, friends were the hands and feet of God and have loved us through it. I think our acts of kindness be it large or small can love someone through something. Leave YOUR DNA on them. They will always remember the situation but let the blessing overshadow the problem. I recall friends holding garage sales for us and raising $2,400.00 in a half a day on a Saturday. They did this over and over. They were loving us through it.
I brought up this story for 2 reasons. I wish I could tell you this was the exception but it isn’t. There are lots of people who don’t have the money to fully exist. There are lots of people who are going through something that just a card or a phone call can be that thing that lifts them. I like this story because it shows “Love” knows no color and has no boundaries. I seen this in action more in the disasters we have had this year. I am sorry we had so many homes destroyed and strains on families but I love that it brought out the best of people. We didn’t see color or political party or financial status. We got to see the best of mankind in a way we would not have normally in helping. I wish we could live seeing through those lenses all the time. Be sensitive to all you come in contact with. I have often wondered if God only looked down and recognized us by our DNA where would he see our’s?
