My Purpose & Love

"You might not live to see tomorrow, but you still have today to make things better than they were yesterday."

I was sitting in Church today listening to the readings, and then we were standing for prayers, when an elderly man appeared out of nowhere.  All color was gone from his face and he was holding onto the end of the pew and a woman, stood there trying to hold him, as he was about to collapse.  I immediately ran to him, put my arm around his back and held onto him as we lowered him to the ground.  The whole time, he was looking at me, and all I could do was assure him he was going to be ok as we looked into each other's eyes.  By the time he was on the ground and I sat there with my arm around him, a couple guys had come to help lay him in the pew.  I moved away to allow them to lift him up, shaking, my heart racing, and could tell my head was hot like I had a 104 degree fever.  I waited for a medic to come and get him into a wheel chair to take him to the hospital and as I had walked back to my pew, I was overcome with emotion.

How often do we overlook someone in need?  There were people all around this man, and aside from the woman who was next to him, I was the first to reach him.  For a moment, my life had more purpose than it ever did.  I thought about the person who grabbed his cell phone to find a loved one's contact info, or the man who stood next to him the whole time, and the woman who brought him a water.  While I certainly didn't save his life, as he looked into my eyes I felt like he needed the reassurance that he was going to be alright and taken care of and I was able to provide that compassion for him.

That was my purpose.  That's what I do in life.  I love to take care of people.  Perhaps it's because I feel valued, or because seeing that look on someone's face that you're making them feel better is such a great accomplishment.

I choose to live my life hoping to make the world a better place, just one step, just one day at a time.  Share your love with those who need it most, and never feel like an, 'I Love You,' is not worth saying, because it is.