Helping Hands

This morning I enjoyed the warmth of my bed a little too long and we were running behind schedule. Add to that a grumpy pre-teen that insisted on lingering over a bowl of cereal, and we were literally running to catch the bus. A couple of blocks from the stop, I realized we might not make it, and I asked God why something so simple (getting to work/school) had to be so hard. Another block closer to the stop and I heard the bus coming and realized that even if I broke into a full sprint (with the sluggish, grumpy pre-teen a block behind) I wouldn't make it.

To my pleasant surprise, the bus stopped at the corner we were quickly approaching to let off another passenger; as long as I've been catching the bus there, I've never seen anyone else get on or off at that stop. The bus stopped long enough for us to get closer and for me to start yelling and waving my arms (what a sight) for the driver to wait for us. He started to pull away from the stop, but I could see the passengers gesturing to us and telling him we were coming. Thankfully, he stopped and waited for us; even my son, Mr. Pre-Teen himself grabbed his sagging pants and went into a full sprint to the bus. I thanked the driver profusely, and he pointed to the other passengers giving them the credit for noticing us. I waved a breathless thank you to them all.

The sweet part was when I found my seat I spotted a young man that is my son's age and who we know from past summer camps. He is now a thriving student at Hume-Fogg High School and is always a pleasure to speak with. He was the one who saw us running and asked the driver to wait. He said that he's seen times when passengers notice others running to catch the bus and don't alert the driver, but he didn't think that was the right thing to do. As I called my son over to also catch some of this young man's light, I couldn't help but be encouraged to know that there are still young people out there who care about more than themselves. I had asked God earlier why things had to be so hard sometimes; I feel like He answered by showing me that things aren't always easy, but with the help of others, it usually all works out.