Go Back  Quiltingboard Forums > General Chit-Chat (non-quilting talk)
this is so sweet I had to share >

this is so sweet I had to share

this is so sweet I had to share

Old 09-08-2011, 03:35 AM
  #1  
Super Member
Thread Starter
 
Join Date: Jul 2010
Location: western australia
Posts: 1,793
Default

The
Cab Ride

I arrived at the address and honked the horn.
after waiting a few minutes
I walked 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.

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 knickknacks 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 said. I took the suitcase
to the cab, 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
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 quietly reached over and shut off the
meter.

'What route would you like me
to take?' I asked.

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 where 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.

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'.

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 into her
purse.

'Nothing,' I
said

'You have to make a living,' she
answered.

'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 the closing of a life..

I didn't
pick up any more passengers that shift. I drove
aimlessly lost in thought. For the rest of that
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 that 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.

PEOPLE MAY NOT REMEMBER EXACTLY
WHAT YOU DID, OR WHAT YOU SAID ~BUT
~THEY WILL
ALWAYS REMEMBER
HOW YOU MADE THEM
FEEL.

You won't get any big surprise
in 10 days if you send this to ten people. But,
you might help make the world a little kinder
and more compassionate by sending.
it on and
reminding us that often it is the random acts of
kindness that most benefit all of
us.

Thank you, my
friend...

Life
may not be the party we hoped for, but while we
are here we might as well dance
litacats is offline  
Old 09-08-2011, 03:45 AM
  #2  
Super Member
 
ptquilts's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jun 2010
Location: Vermont
Posts: 6,967
Default

Wonderful - thank you so much.
ptquilts is offline  
Old 09-08-2011, 03:58 AM
  #3  
Super Member
 
woody's Avatar
 
Join Date: Aug 2009
Location: Canberra, Australia
Posts: 2,135
Default

Beautiful, thanks for posting this
woody is offline  
Old 09-08-2011, 04:28 AM
  #4  
Super Member
 
Join Date: Sep 2010
Location: Upper Michigan
Posts: 8,248
Default

Oh my! I'm sitting here bawling! So beautiful'!!!!!
Painiacs is offline  
Old 09-08-2011, 04:58 AM
  #5  
Super Member
 
Join Date: Mar 2010
Location: kentucky
Posts: 2,212
Default

Makes you think about how you live your life doesn;t it.How we treat people we meet in life,those that we pass by,did we give them a smile or a stressed out frown
Patty Patches is offline  
Old 09-08-2011, 05:03 AM
  #6  
Super Member
 
Chicca's Avatar
 
Join Date: Feb 2011
Location: Grants Pass, Oregon
Posts: 2,179
Default

Thank you for sharing this...made me take a few extra moments and think about a few moments in life.
Chicca is offline  
Old 09-08-2011, 05:06 AM
  #7  
Super Member
 
Join Date: Oct 2010
Location: Arizona
Posts: 4,039
Default

Ahh, this is so sweet. Thank you for sharing.
suebee is offline  
Old 09-08-2011, 05:11 AM
  #8  
Senior Member
 
Join Date: Nov 2010
Location: Wadesboro, NC
Posts: 758
Default

That is so sweet! Thanks for sharing!
TootieAnn is offline  
Old 09-08-2011, 05:17 AM
  #9  
Power Poster
 
QuiltnNan's Avatar
 
Join Date: Mar 2011
Location: western NY formerly MN, FL, NC, SC
Posts: 51,433
Default

Thanks so much for sharing.... a great reminder to us all :thumbup: :thumbup: :thumbup:
QuiltnNan is offline  
Old 09-08-2011, 05:37 AM
  #10  
Super Member
 
ljptexas's Avatar
 
Join Date: Feb 2010
Location: NE of Fort Worth
Posts: 2,456
Default

So uplifting & makes us think. Thanks so much for sharing.....

:thumbup: :thumbup:
ljptexas is offline  
Related Topics

Posting Rules
You may not post new threads
You may not post replies
You may not post attachments
You may not edit your posts

BB code is On
Smilies are On
[IMG] code is On
HTML code is On
Trackbacks are Off
Pingbacks are Off
Refbacks are Off


FREE Quilting Newsletter