Over twenty years ago, our house burned. It was mostly smoke and water damage, but the contents were considered a total loss. We salvaged a few things, but the bulk of our possessions were destroyed.
That day is as real to me as it was then. I can still visualize the way my house looked after the smoke cleared. I can even remember the way it smelled.
It happened in December. It was a chilly afternoon, and I was working in my office downtown. I received a call from my mother, who lived next door, telling me that our house was on fire. By the time I arrived, the road was blocked by fire trucks, and all my physical possessions were gone.
I remember standing in my front yard thinking that the only things I had were the clothes I was wearing. I was so overwhelmed that I couldn’t reason any more than that.
Days passed, friends came, and I went through day after day in shock. I spent one week in a cold, burned house, trying to itemize our possessions for insurance, and grieving over the losses. There were books that could not be replaced. There were pictures painted by my son totally destroyed. There were pictures that could not be retaken. There was my Bible charred beyond repair. I cried!
Above all the emotions I felt during this tragedy, I learned some things that helped me through this difficult time. I was overcome with the spirit of love and caring.
When the firemen were about ready to leave, one of them knocked on the door of my mother’s house. In his hands, was a photo album—my wedding album. I will be forever grateful for that act of kindness.
The next day, a little boy knocked on the door. In his hand was a necklace. He handed it to me and said, “I am so sorry.” With that, he walked away; and I never saw him again. I tried to find him to return the necklace, but no one in the neighborhood seemed to know who he was.
While we waited for our house to be repaired, we moved into an apartment. One day there was a knock on the door, and a dear friend came in with a Christmas tree, decorations, an afghan, and a tremendous hug. This is the same friend that stuck me in a dressing room and brought clothes for me to try on when I couldn’t make decisions for myself.
Another friend brought a plate of Christmas cookies. I’ll never forget the feeling I had when I took off the foil and saw the beautiful cookies. She had no extra money to give, but she gave what she had.
Friends brought money, clothing, and groceries. They prepared food. They brought hope.
“For I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me drink, I was a stranger and you welcomed me, I was naked and you clothed me, I was sick and you visited me, I was in prison and you came to me” (Matthew 25:35-37).
That scripture has special meaning for me because we were there. We were without, and there were those that provided. They saw the various needs, and they met them.
As we approach the holiday season, people are more conscious of the needy, but what about the rest of the year? The “little things” people did for my family weren’t really little things. They were what made a difference. They provided for us at a time when we couldn’t provide for ourselves. Jesus said, “So, whatever you wish that others would do to you, do also to them, for this is the Law and the Prophets” (Matthew 7:12). Friends and strangers certainly did as Jesus taught.
What can doing for others mean? Remember what Jesus said, “Truly, I say to you, as you did it to one of the least of these my brothers, you did it to me” (Matthew 25:40).
Sandra Oliver