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

Wonderful - thank you so much.

Beautiful, thanks for posting this

Oh my! I'm sitting here bawling! So beautiful'!!!!!

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

Thank you for sharing this...made me take a few extra moments and think about a few moments in life.

Ahh, this is so sweet. Thank you for sharing.

That is so sweet! Thanks for sharing!

Thanks so much for sharing.... a great reminder to us all :thumbup: :thumbup: :thumbup:

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

:thumbup: :thumbup:

Thanks for sharing this wonderful story. We all need a little reminder what one small act of kindness can mean to others.

I have a BIL,no wife no kids.No one goes to see him but the Hospice people.We go take care of his banking once a month.Makes me stop and think.

OH MY....That was some story...at least 1/2 box kleenex. I worked in nursing homes and saw this often....Bless those who take the time to help others

That brought tears to my eyes. What a wonderful story!

Story touched my heart. You have a wonderful soul.

What a wonderful story. A great reminder to be kind to others!
Thanks for sharing!

Oh dear, so sweet and I'am crying. A walking angel. Barb

I'm sitting here crying too! I worked at Hospice and it is sad when there is no one there for the patient. Thank goodness for volunteers.

Pat

Brought tears to my eyes....:) VERY good message in this one. Thank you :wink:

This is truly beautiful.

Beautiful story...and it has 2 of my very favorite sayings at the end...Naomi :thumbup: :thumbup: :thumbup:

Thanks for sharing.

Thank you ...........................

That is beautiful. I'm sending it to all my sisters because I don't want to be the only one sitting here with tears in my eyes. Thank you for sharing.

Idon't have ten people i can send this to, but i do try to do a good deed every if given the opertunity.

So very beautiful.
Lisa

Sure makes us think. Thank you for posting it

This brought tears to my eyes. Thank you for sharing this.

It brought tears to my eyes.

That is so beautiful. Thank you.

I cried-- J.

Beautiful - I have passed it long - thank you so much :thumbup:

Thanks for posting. Now if someone could tell me how to email it to someone else from QP I'd really appreciate it.

Thank you for posting...at least a half a box of kleenex on that one. I sincerely wish both my son (that no longer speaks to me) and daughter would read this.

This is a beautiful and thoughtful e mail I so wish things like this happen more often in real life. It should make us stop and think about how many times we have a chance to make someones life better. and hopefully we will not miss a chance to enrich someoneselses life IMHO

sorry double posted again

I have copied this message and forward same to those who are meaningful in my life. Thank you for sharing this beautiful story.

That is a beautiful story. There are many small gifts of love that can be given and received daily from anyone--we just have to be aware of them. A smile is the greatest gift and always makes someones day.

so nice

thank you for this!