A few inspirational articles that shoud lift your spirit and brighten
your day. We will add more articles that will inspire you as we come across them. If you would like to submit an article,
or story, please do so by contacting us at articles@retire-lifestyle.com. Enjoy.
The
Cab Ride
No one was waiting at the curb, so 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 1940s 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 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. '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.
Life may not be the party we
hoped for, but while we are here we might as well dance.
.
THE PASTOR'S CAT...
Dwight’s
pastor had a kitten that climbed up a tree in his backyard and then was afraid to come down. He swears this is true. The pastor coaxed, offered warm milk, etc. The kitty would not come down. The tree was not sturdy enough to climb, so the pastor decided that if he tied
a rope to his car and pulled it until the tree bent down,
he could then reach up and get the kitten.That's what he did, all
the while checking his progress in the car. He then figured
if he went just a little bit further, the tree would be bent sufficiently for him to reach the kitten. But as he moved
the car a little further forward, the rope broke.The tree went
'boing!' and the kitten instantly sailed through the air - out of sight.The pastor felt terrible. He walked all over the neighborhood asking people if they'd seen a little kitten. No. Nobody had seen a stray kitten. So he prayed, 'Lord, I just commit this kitten to your keeping,' and went on about
his business.A few days later he was at the grocery store, and met
one of his church members. He happened to look into her
shopping cart and was amazed to see cat food. This woman
was a cat hater and everyone knew it, so he asked her, 'Why are you buying cat food when you hate cats so much?'
She replied, 'You won't believe this,' and then told him how
her little girl had been begging her for a cat, but she
kept refusing. Then a few days before, the child had begged again, so the Mom finally told her little girl, 'Well,
if God gives you a cat, I'll let you keep it.'
She told the pastor, 'I watched my child go out in the yard, get on her knees,
and ask God for a cat. And really, Pastor, you won't believe this,
but I saw it with my own eyes. A kitten suddenly came flying
out of the blue sky, with its paws outspread, and landed right in front of her ..'