Commentaries by Cynthia

I saw them from my front porch.

They were a middle-aged couple, walking up the street in the direction of a nearby outdoor concert. She somehow lost her balance and fell backward, hitting the curb and rolling several feet down a small grassy bank. There were gasps and gawks from those passing by, but no one moved to assist her as she lay dazed and struggling to pick herself up again. Instinct kicked in, and I ran across the street, then I knelt beside her and helped her into a sitting position. At that moment, I noticed that her hand was outstretched, but it was not my help that she was reaching for - it was her partner’s, who stood towering over her, as if to say, “You get yourself up.”

I shot him one of those looks - the kind that a disapproving mother often gives to a misbehaving child. He moved forward, at last, helping the woman to her feet. Relieved, she turned to me with thankful sentiments, then explained that she sometimes had dizzy spells. I made some polite comments that I can’t remember now, because the whole time I dearly wanted to get into the man’s face and say, “What’s the matter with you? She fell down and you didn’t even try to help her!”

I call them Julia Sugarbaker moments - those times when I want to get on a high-horse and confront a person who needs a good “ talkin’ to.” Instead, I simply walked back across the street. Hopefully, my actions that day spoke louder than any words I could say.

The moral of this story is very simple: if someone falls down, help them get back up again. Maybe that “accident” you witnessed was actually God testing your ability to feel and show compassion for a person who is in need. And whether you pass or fail this important test is up to you and you alone.