A lot can be said about kindness and human compassion. The first should be there is very little of either. People will give a dollar to this cause or wear a ribbon for that one. If it’s convenient or forced upon them, they’ll walk or bike for something… they might even hit you up for a donation for every mile they complete in the “you name it” race. It’s all good. It’s all helpful. No one has to reach beyond their comfort zone and when it’s over everyone goes home with a t-shirt and a possible selfie. I feel warm and snuggly just writing about it.
This week my feisty, “tell like she sees it” mother was hospitalized with pneumonia and placed in the critical care unit of Mayo Hospital in Jacksonville, Florida. To say the least, I was worried out of my mind, living 2,422.1 miles away in Hollywood, California only compounded my fears. They say distance makes the heart grow fonder… it doesn’t; it makes a sense of helplessness overtake you. So, in true “Rob fashion”, I did what I always do… I reached out on social media for prayers, support, and positive energy.
I believe that God hears all prayers, regardless of your interpretation of God. If I have a need, I’m grateful for prayers uttered from a Christian, Jew, Muslim, Hindu, Hara Krishna, Buddhist, Spiritualist or whatever you happen to follow this week. God, the positive energy in the universe, just needs to be accessed.
I turned to Facebook for support with a posting about my mom and a need for prayer and positive thoughts…. 100’s of my friends immediately heard my call, in fact nearly 1,000 people took a moment out of their day to acknowledge my mother’s condition and comfort me. They’ll never know how much that means to me. One man went a little further than saying a prayer; he put actions to the words he uttered to God.
Rob Carryl, a person I’ve never met but have developed a friendship with online drove to the hospital with candy and a message of love and compassion from me. Recognizing my parents as they drove away from Mayo, Rob followed them towards their home. After contacting me, I was able to get my father to pull over so Rob could deliver his gift. Yesterday, this complete stranger handed my 81-year-old mother two Hershey’s Kisses, wished her well and placed a symbolic kiss on her forehead… then drove away.
His act of kindness completely changed her day and reaffirmed my belief in the goodness of man. There was no photo opportunity… no ribbon… no t-shirt for Rob Carryl once he reached out to the stranger on the side of the road. It was an act of kindness performed by a man with a kind spirit… Nothing more… nothing less.
We are all authors of our lives, and when the last sentence in the last paragraph is finished it will represent what we brought to the world while we were here. I believe Rob Carryl’s story will be a self-fulfilling prophecy of kindness and compassion for everyone to read.
This is my journey… this is my life!
Rob Cantrell
Rob Cantrell 