I tapped the steering wheel, trying to shake the weight on my chest, when I spotted a disheveled woman digging through a trash can. I slowed down, drawn in by her grim determination.
She looked fragile yet fierce, fighting for survival. Without thinking, I pulled over, rolled down my window, and asked, “Do you need help?”
Her response was sharp but tired: “You offering?”
“I just saw you there,” I admitted, stepping out. “It didn’t seem right.”
“What’s not right is life,” she scoffed, crossing her arms. “You don’t strike me as someone who knows much about that.”
“Maybe not,” I replied, then asked if she had a place to stay.
“No,” she said, and I felt compelled to offer my garage as a temporary home. To my surprise, she accepted, albeit reluctantly.
Over the next few days, we shared meals and conversations. Lexi’s sharp wit broke through my loneliness, but I could sense her hidden pain.
One afternoon, I barged into the garage and froze. There, sprawled across the floor, were grotesque paintings of me—chains, blood, a casket. Nausea hit me.
That night, I confronted her. “What are those paintings?”
Her face went pale. “I didn’t mean for you to see them. I was just… angry.”
“So you painted me as a monster?” I demanded.
She nodded, shame in her eyes. “I’m sorry.”
I struggled to forgive her. “I think it’s time for you to go.”
The next morning, I helped her pack and drove her to a shelter, giving her some money. Weeks passed, and I felt the loss of our connection.
Then, a package arrived—another painting. This one was serene, capturing a peace I hadn’t known. Inside was a note with Lexi’s name and number.
My heart raced as I called her. “I got your painting… it’s beautiful.”
“Thank you. I didn’t know if you’d like it,” she replied.
“You didn’t owe me anything,” I said, reflecting on my own unfairness.
“I’m sorry for what I painted,” she admitted. “You were just… there.”
“I forgave you the moment I saw that painting. Maybe we could start over.”
“I’d like that,” she said, a smile evident in her voice.
We made plans to meet again, and I felt a flicker of hope for what could be.
Couple gathers neighbors to repair elderly woman’s home, but wait till you see the result
Anne Glancey, an elderly woman from New Jersey, received three violations from the municipality because of the state of her house which was deteriorating.
Among the rest, there was an old car on her driveway which she needed to get rid of, or at least park it somewhere else. Further, she allowed her lawn and house to become overgrown and covered in peeling, chipping paint.
Sadly, due to her age and lack of finances, there wasn’t much this woman could do to renovate her place.
Luckily, Anne’s neighbors have been people with a heart of gold, especially a couple living near by who heard of this lady’s struggles from a real estate agent who was selling their home.
In an attempt to help Anne keep up with the repairs to her home, they gathered around 20 volunteers from the neighborhood and did the job themselves, and oh boy, what a difference they made.
“Anne was, and is, extremely grateful for our dedication to her property and her soul,” neighbour Kristin Polhemus, the initiator behind the project, said. “The project has inspired her to continue improving her home, inside and out, and it established new relationships between Anne and our neighbors.”
Source: Krisitin Polhemus
“These violations imposed a fine of no more than $1,000 per day, per violation. We knew we needed to help, as these fines would quickly surmount for anyone in Anne’s situation,” Polhemus said. “In life, we are called to love our neighbors as ourselves. We wanted to help her out of an act of love.”
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