Cloudy skies loom overhead

Today started like most days lately, with cloudy skies overhead. I didn't really want to go to work today. I noticed the traffic in Interstate 55 northbound was heavier than usual. It didn't take long for me to come to the realuzation that there had to be a wreck somewhere, but I didn't see any emergency vehicle's. My thoughts returned to my prayers for the day and I wondered what it was God had in store today. I parked my car and headed in to work thinking things seemed slower than normal. I asked if there was a wreck on northbound "55" and the response was "yes," two cars had overturned slowing traffic for over an jour. I thought to myself, I hope no one was injured. I proceeded with my normal activities trying to keep my thoughts on work and not on all tge people whom I needed to pray for. The people fighting cancer, some dying as I type or those worrying about their jobs or the children in Africa or Haiti or........all over the world who need the simple things like "food.". The days become long when your heart knows people are suffering and at times it's hard to focus. It wasn't long when things started to pick up and an ederly lady came in and you could see she was visibly shaken. We askef her how we could help her? She told us that she had a flat tire and how two men and a highway patrolman had come to her rescue. She was so grateful for their help and that she would not have know anything was wrong with her car if it had not been for a passing vehicle holding up a sign that read "you have a flat tire." She asked if she could leave the tire and come back in a little while after her friends doctor's appointment? We said "no problem." About an hour later she and her friend came to retrieve the tire, as we were reinstalling it on her car, I asked her if she was okay? She responded with things are hard, "my husband was put in a nursing home a few months ago, 30 miles away. It's been hard getting there to see him and I don't even know if he will recognize me when I do get there." tears were sliding down her checks as she explained that he had fallen ill suddenly and that she had never had to take care of anything like this before. She said if it had not been for her friend, she would not know what to do. I said how sorry I was that her life had taken such a drastic change, and at times it is so hard to know what to do. She continued her story about how she had fallen on hard times because of the "donut-hole created in Medicare a few years ago. "Every month it is a struggle to just pay the bills and my medicine, let alone eating, especially when I don't know how to balance a checkbook." i thought to myself how sad that we live in a country so strong and so mighty and that there is opportunity to help others and that there are "assistant plans" in place, yet how people are unaware that the help exist. She asked me if we had in our lical newspaper a way to thank the gentlemen who helped her? I responded with "yes." i gave her the information. So as she left I thought how she is an inspiration to others. Her life is so hard right now, yet there are people who will come to another person's aid. So, I close with "thank you Lord, for giving others a heart for helping their neighbor."