On Wednesday, Shirley, almost 88 years’ old, walked out of her assisted living residence, crossed a street, and went into a parking lot. A woman in a car saw her pass and suddenly disappear.
Startled, this Good Samaritan hopped out of her car and discovered Shirley had fallen face down and had a broken nose, fractured jaw, and various cuts and bruises. She carried no ID and it was only by the persistence of this stranger that Shirley was identified and her niece called to come to the hospital.
Shirley’s new friend, Joni Correia, an employee with the Navy Federal Credit Union, even came by the hospital to check on Shirley and bring her flowers.
I think Joni Correia is an angel, an unsung hero who instinctively went to help a stranger and to even follow up. It wasn’t her job. It was her day off. Yet Joni modeled what we all need at times: angels around us.
What’s fascinating is that sometimes we jump to the aid of a stranger before we jump in to help the colleague in our department. This week, with the official end of summer and many starting back to work... perhaps we might look for a way to be an “angel;” among us.
I think that spontaneous assistance to another might even help us fly.
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