Thursday, January 24, 2013

Pay it Forward....

In relevance to my last post-I just thought I'd let you know that Hashem gave me the PERFECT opportunity to 'pay it forward' (still luv that movie!). Less than 2 days after my 'saving by the soldiers', I was rushing like mad to get to work on time. Sure, it was the coldest day of the week/month/year (non-exaggeration!) and sure, my car didn't start immediately and I drove with the defroster on full blast, blowing cold air for the first 20 minutes of my drive, but my car DID work and that's the point. 
Anyway, as I was driving, I had a sudden craving for Starbucks, and decided to do a little detour in order to make a quick pit stop for my coffee craving. As I was pulling up to a very busy intersection I noticed that the cars weren't moving at the green, some were slowing down, others had their blinkers-I couldn't figure out what was going on. Then, as I inched my way forward, I noticed a woman, clearly Sheitel-wearing, standing by her car, looking lost, middle of the street. I realized her car had stalled-MID very busy intersection. I quickly rolled down my window (yes, it rolled down even though it was FREEZING) and asked her to come inside my car, and pulled over. Obviously, being a girl, I know nothing about cars, how they work, how to boost one or figure out what's wrong. What I do have though, is Chaverim's trust number stored in my phone, so I called, provided them with details and we waited in the warm(ish) car. At that moment I thought how proud I was to be a Jew. Who in this freezing cold, unbearable weather would stop and offer a complete stranger to come into their car and help out? Who, on their way to work, knowing they would be late, would make a phone call for someone they don't even know? It was such a good feeling, I must say. 
At the same time, how Min Hashamayim was it that I had a craving at that particular time, running late, and went totally out of the way to a Starbucks, which happened to intersect the street that the woman got stuck on? 
Wait-the story gets better. While on the phone with chaverim and waiting for them to jot down the information, the woman informed me that this was the ONE time she left her cell phone behind. She would have no way/where to call her family and let them know she was stuck/would be late.
So everyone, pay it forward, show the world how wonderful it is to be a Jew, to have people helping people without question, to have organizations such as Bikur Cholim, Hatzlacha, Chaverim, etc, which we shouldn't ever need to make use of, but which does tremendous things for people. 
Mostly, just Pay it Forward

4 comments:

  1. I really hope you would have stopped for a lost-looking lady in a sweatshirt and jeans and no headcovering.

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  2. Anon: A fellow frummie one can spot. A possible crackhead ax murderer is harder to determine.

    Surfin': My mother always says this quote from our rabbi- "Whatever you do, you do for yourself." Yes, you helped her, but that satisfaction, that joy, that knowledge that you gave of yourself: Doesn't that feel AWESOME? There are just so many benefits to Paying It Forward!

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  3. ספר דברי הימים א פרק יז
    כא) וּמִי כְּעַמְּךָ יִשְׂרָאֵל גּוֹי אֶחָד בָּאָרֶץ )

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