“An Elderly Ladies Last Ride:” A Heartwarming and Inspiring Story About the Importance of Simple Acts of Kindness
This story by an unknown author is being shared all over the internet because of its inspiring message we all need to hear
THE DAWNING LIGHT Volume 7, Number 326 Sunday July 9, 2023
Image Credit: Pixabay “Discarding her wheelchair, she climbed the Glorious stairway to Heaven, free from pain and sadness”
This story by an unknown author is being shared all over the internet because of its inspiring message we all need to hear…I invite you to read it, for it is profound on many levels, and certain to bring compassionate love flowing into your heart.
This story by an unknown taxi driver came to me through social media and I found it so moving that I wanted to share it with you…
AN ELDERLY LADIES LAST RIDE
I arrived at the address and honked the horn.
After waiting a few minutes I honked again. Since this was going to be my last ride of my shift, I thought about just driving away, but instead I put the car I park and walked up to the door and knocked…
“Just a minute”, answered a frail, elderly voice.
I could hear something being dragged across the floor.
After a long pause, the door opened. A small woman in her 90’s stood before me.
She was wearing a print dress and a pillbox hat with a veil pinned on it, like somebody out of a 1940’s movie.
Photo Credit: Pixabay
By her side was a small nylon suitcase.
The apartment looked as if no one had lived in it for years.
All the furniture was covered with sheets. There were no clocks on the walls, no Knick knacks or utensils on the counters.
In the corner was a cardboard box filled with photos and glassware.
“Would you carry my bag out to the car?” She asked.
Photo Credit: Pixabay
I took the suitcase to the cab, and then returned to assist the woman. She took my arm and we walked slowly toward the curb.
She kept thanking me for my kindness.
“It’s nothing”, I told her…”I just try to treat my passengers the way I would want my mother to be treated.”
“Oh, you’re such a good boy,” she said.
When we got in the cab, she gave me an address and then asked, “Could you drive me through downtown?”
“It’s not the shortest way,” I answered quickly.
“Oh, I don’t mind,” she said. “ I’m in no hurry. I’m on my way to a hospice.”
I looked in the rear view mirror. Her eyes were glistening.
“I don’t have any family left,” she continued in a soft voice…” The doctor says I don’t have very long.”
I quickly reached over and shut off the meter.
“What route would you like me to take?” I asked.
Photo Credit: Pixabay
For the next two hours, we drove through the city. She showed me the building where she had once worked as an elevator operator.
We drove through the neighborhood she and her husband had lived when they were newlyweds.
She had me pull up in front of a furniture warehouse that had once been a ballroom where she had gone dancing as a girl.
Photo Credit: Pixabay
Sometimes she’d ask me to slow in front of a particular building or corner and would sit staring into the darkness, saying nothing.
As the first hint of sun was creasing the horizon, she suddenly said, “I’m tired. Let’s go now.”
Photo Credit: Pixabay
We drove in silence to the address she had given me.
It was a low building, like a small convalescent home, with a driveway that passed under a portico.
Two orderlies came out to the cab as soon as we pulled up.They were solicitous and intent, watching her every move.
They must have been expecting her.
I opened the trunk and took the small suitcase to the door.The woman was already seated in a wheelchair.
“How much do I owe you?” She asked, reaching for her purse.
“Nothing,” I said.
“You have to make a living,” she answered.
Photo Credit: Pixabay
“There are other passengers,” I responded.
Almost without thinking, I bent and gave her a hug. She held onto me tightly.
“You gave an old woman a little moment of joy,” she said. “Thank you.”
I squeezed her hand and then walked into the dim morning light…Behind me, a door shut. It was the sound of a closing of a life…
Photo Credit: Pixabay
I didn’t pick up any more passengers that shift.
I drove aimlessly lost in thought. For the rest of the day, I could hardly talk.
What if that woman had gotten an angry driver, or one who was impatient to end his shift?
What if I had refused to take the run, or had honked once, then driven away?
On a quick review, I don’t think I have done anything more important in my life.
We’re conditioned to think that our lives revolve around great moments.
But great moments often catch us unaware—beautifully wrapped in what others may consider a small one.
As Maya Angelou Says…
“PEOPLE MAY NOT REMEMBER EXACTLY WHAT YOU DID, OR WHAT YOU SAID—BUT—THEY WILL ALWAYS REMEMBER HOW YOU MADE THEM FEEL.”
At the bottom of this great story was a request to forward it—I deleted that request because if you have read to this point, you won’t have to be asked to pass it along—you just will…
Life may not be the party we hoped for, but while we are here, we might as well dance.
Kindness is love expressed to help others in need, but it also brings joy to the one being kind and always returns to you multiplied in the form of grace and blessings when you need them the most.
Image Credit: Poetry Hunter
Image Credit: Still Mountain Meditation Center
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“Your greatest service to humanity is to attain your own Self Realization!” Ramana Maharshi
“When you change the way you think about things, and the things you think about change”
—Wayne Dwyer
“I see my life as an unfolding set of opportunities to awaken.” —Ram Das