Valiant

After my Zombie-inspired moment during church, I drove home on some back roads that I haven’t used in a while. I got to a certain intersection and familiar blue house took me back to a lesson I learned from my mother.

This is the kind of woman my mother is: Years ago, as we were driving on our way to church we passed an elderly woman walking on the side of the road. The woman was in a McDonalds uniform and appeared to be a little weary. My mom stops, rolls down her window and asks the woman if we can take her somewhere. The woman hesitated at first, but only for a second before accepting a ride to her house. She lived right on the way to church, it cost us nothing but a bit of time to stop and help her on her way. Call it generosity. Call it respect. Call it kindness. Call it risky. Call it what you will. I call it being the social center of God’s love. What made that lesson stick in my heart and head is that it wasn’t a one-time act. After that first day, every time our paths crossed the McDonald’s Lady, we picked her up and took her the rest of the way home. Such a simple, valiant thing.

Just last night I stumbled upon another act of generosity my parents are performing behind the scenes. Out of the public eye. But my parents are like that. And I think more is communicated by caring and supporting others than all the rhetoric we can muster. I hope I can be like them when I grow up.

The deeds will not be less valiant because they are unpraised. ~ Aragorn