The right place at the right time

Hi friends,

I usually love the holidays! It really is "the most wonderful time of the year" for me... Lots of treasured family time and traditions, non-stop shopping (with a good reason), delicious meals, cool weather, festive lights and decorations, time to reflect on our blessings and the true meaning of it all, getting cards in the mail, opening gifts, taking photos and scrapbooking, etc. I love all of this! But this year is a little different. There's still all this to love about the holidays, BUT a few less people now to share it all with and that makes it a bit more difficult than ever before... I have so many things I want to do to celebrate the season, but I can't get myself to do it... I haven't decorated my house and it's already Dec. 14. I haven't even sent out my photo cards yet (an annual tradition).

BUT YOU KNOW WHAT?

Something happened to me yesterday that made me so very thankful... something that made God's presence abundantly clear... for some reason, I was in the right place at the right time and I am so glad for that. You see, after some Christmas shopping, Richard and I parted ways so he could go get a haircut. I was leaving my house to go to Macy's when I realized that I didn't want to go to the mall just yet. So I carefully crossed a few lanes and decided to turn in a different direction to go donate some clothing to the nearby Goodwill store. After dropping off my donation, I made a u-turn and quite a distance in front of me (between some shrubs/trees), I saw a little old man with a cane drop his belongings and fall onto the pavement. I accelerated to get to him quickly when I realized that a woman in an SUV was backing up toward him and was about to run him over! (I'm tearing up as I type this.) I immediately went crazy, beeping my horn and waving my arms frantically for her to stop as I drove toward her. She saw me and she stopped the car, wondering what was wrong... I ran out of my car, rushed to the man who was trying to get up in a state of panic and, without thinking twice, I picked him up off the ground to get him out and away from behind her car.

My heart was beating a mile a minute and I was shaking, but nothing mattered except that this little old man was safe. He didn't want to call his family. He didn't want us to call 911 because he was afraid they would take him to the hospital. But I told the woman to call them anyway. I later realized that she bumped him with her car causing him to fall and she was so nervous about it, but she helped me check him while I sat him down in her car and she called the police.

Fire rescue arrived and his vitals were okay. His arm was bloody and they bandaged him up. The old man told everyone that thanks to God, I was there to save his life!!! The woman driver also thanked me for getting her attention just in time. He's 90 years old, in pretty good shape, takes the bus to the shopping center to shop at Walgreens and, sadly, he has no family. Fire rescue wouldn't drive him home (against policy) and the police officers can't either... I couldn't believe that! Richard called me and immediately showed up since he was across the street. I told the old man that I was going to drive him home (he's divorced with no children and his sister passed away so he lives with a friend of his who's a widower). And I did. I took him home, helped him inside and left him my name and number just in case.

I haven't stopped thinking about Demetrio. I hope he's doing fine... I think I may just have to pay him a visit this week...

And that, my friends, made my holiday season meaningful.

Happy holidays!!!

xoxo,
Vanessa