Allow me to brag on my mom for a bit.

Here is the context: On November 20th, I got a call from my Grandma telling me that my step dad was in the hospital in Wichita Falls, Texas and that it was serious. I talked to my mom, who was going to make the drive down from Norman to go see him. I told her that I would take the rest of the day off of work to go with her.

We had a long visit with him and then started to head back home only to get a call saying that we needed to turn around and get back there as quickly as we could. By the time we made it back, he was pretty much gone.

We spent the next hour on the phone telling people. Telling my little brother and sister that their dad was gone is up there with the hardest things I have ever done (or hopefully, will ever do).

By the time we were ready to go, I was exhausted (physically, mentally, and emotionally). It was late and all I wanted to do was lie down in my bed and forget everything for a bit, but I had a two and a half hour drive to make first.

As I was pulling our of the hospital parking lot onto the road, I did not even see the homeless man with his bike on the sidewalk.

By my mom did.

My mom, who just lost her husband of 22 years, saw the homeless man and said that he looked hungry. So she rolled down her window and told him to wait there and that we would go get him something to eat. She would have offered to just give him a ride there if we would have had a place to but his bike.

I don’t really have a point to this story other than she, at one of the most difficult moments of her life, was still thinking of helping other people and not of herself.

Helping that guy on the road was the last thing on my mind, but I hope that next time it won’t be.