A Choice
It was a beautiful, sunny, Spring day. I had just finished driving my
daughter to the airport to catch an early morning flight. My sons and I then
went to a fast food place for breakfast before heading back home. After eating
we all got into the car and pulled out of the parking lot. The restaurant was at
the very top of a hill. At the bottom of the hill was a stop sign so we found
ourselves at the end of a long line of traffic waiting while the cars at the
bottom turned onto the main road one at a time.
As I looked down to the bottom of the hill my eyes saw an elderly man standing
by the stop sign. His clothes were old and worn. He held a cardboard sign with
the words: "Need Help Please!" Written on it. My heart went out to him and I
imagined myself in his situation. As car after car turned onto the road without
stopping for him, I reached for my wallet to look for whatever cash was left in
it. As I was pulling it out of my pocket, though, I saw a young woman walk up to
him along the side of the road. She was carrying a bag full of take out food
from the restaurant I was just at. I watched as the old man thanked the young
girl and smiled as she reached in to give him a hug.
Suddenly a loud "HONK" from the car behind me made me realize that I hadn’t been
moving forward, because this simple choice for kindness had so captured my
attention and my heart. By the time I reached the bottom of the hill both the
man and lady who had helped him were gone.
Yet, as I drove home the sun seemed to shine even brighter and Heaven felt a bit
closer to Earth.
A choice is such a powerful thing. It can touch a heart and change a life. It
can bring us closer to God and make Heaven smile. Each day we are given a
thousand choices. May you make all of yours for kindness. May you make your
whole life a choice for love, joy, and God.
Joseph J. Mazzella
joemazzella@frontier.com