Glimmer of Hope
Sergio Florian was going for a run up a mountain on one of the most dangerous trails on the island of Oahu in Hawaii with sheer cliffs and drop offs in all directions. Rounding a bend on the narrow path with a 1000ft drop off to the right, he was surprised to find, curled up in the middle of the path, a 45 pound, dehydrated and scared dog, all by himself, lost and shivering. Marathon runner and fellow kindness ambassador, Sergio knew he had to get the emaciated and terrified dog down the mountain, and he would have to carry her because she was too weak to get down on her own. With her wedged under his arm while he scaled the cliff with his other arm, Sergio carefully inched his way down the mountain. Back at his home the grateful pup lapped up water, ate some food and fell asleep on a blanket. Through social media Sergio was able to find the thankful owner who had lost “Stevie” on a hike three days earlier. Sergio’s words of wisdom “Anytime you are able bodied and able to help someone, you should lend a hand. My arms are hurting tonight, but my heart is overjoyed. I couldn’t leave another living creature in distress like that.”
When we truly help another person (or animal) it’s like an infusion of liquid energy, empowerment, adrenaline, and purpose that seeps into every crevice of our being. Helping another person physically, emotionally, mentally, or spiritually and then seeing a glimmer of hope come back into their face is one of the most meaningful moments we can experience. My husband Tom and I flew down to Gulfport, MS two weeks after Hurricane Katrina in 2005 with a Presbyterian Disaster Assistance team. We were assigned to empty out the entire contents of the house of a couple who had lived there for many decades. The water had come rushing in the house from both sides of the peninsula and stopped one foot from the ceiling. It stayed in the house for about an hour and acted like a blender turning everything topsy turvy. The water then receded and left a layer of mold that made the house uninhabitable. For three days, the couple sat on the cement porch steps and watched us take their precious belongings and throw them on the curb for garbage pickup. I had never been exposed to such despair and utter helplessness before until I witnessed their vacant stares and deflated posture. Wearing our N95 masks, long before they would become a household word, we emptied the house down to the studs. We set up a tarp on the ground next to them to stage the few things that were salvageable. It was when we found the family bible and laid it out before them to dry that the first flicker of life came back into their eyes. As we neared the complete gutting of their family home, they began to sit up straighter and engage with us. When it was time for us to leave we received the most memorable tearful hugs and heartfelt appreciation for allowing them to begin to see a future. They couldn’t have disposed of their belongings themselves but being “seen” by us and helped by a team of kind people, allowed this family to hope again.
Helping another fellow human being, or animal, who is in distress and replenishing them with care and kindness, in whatever way that looks, I believe is what we are here for. We thrive when we are in community with one another. You don’t have to carry a dog down a craggy steep mountain or fly to a disaster zone to make a difference. Look around you and let another person know you “see” them. Help someone find that glimmer of hope. You will both be replenished.
