I am not telling this story for any other reason than to hope to demonstrate to anyone who will listen....
that God may allow us to experience good and bad for a reason. And also to praise a little girl who was very courageous and responsible.
It’s been a very rough year for everyone. You hear it on the news every day. Independent retail is extremely difficult in these times of big box domination and the worst recession we've seen in many years. A lot of businesses in the area have closed and it’s a tragedy to this community.
It has been a difficult year.
My father is fighting the fight of his life---a battle against cancer. I worship this man and the worry weighs on me like a heavy blanket day and night. I would trade any mortal possession I have for him to be well.
Within the past month my business computers crashed and had to be repaired, the store’s air conditioner crashed and had to be repaired, my personal home residence air conditioner crashed, the electric bills tripled because of the record breaking heat of July and August ....and that’s just the tip of the iceberg. I was expecting a $500-$600 electric bill this month and it was $1300!
Life is hard. There’s no doubt about it.
Unexpected expenses on a tight budget can be the straw that breaks the camel’s back. It was impossible for me to come up with that amount and the bill was due in 7 days or they would disconnect my electric. This is something I am not proud of.
I called the electric company and they referred me to Social Services….who referred me to United Way…who referred me to the Energy Assistance Fund…who referred me to the Neighborhood Service Center…who just laughed at me because I am a professional woman who owns a business and makes a good salary at an outside job in Philadelphia. And all of this red tape…ticked..ticked....ticked away at the 7 days I had to find a solution.
It took a lot of courage to ask for help….and everywhere I turned I hit a brick wall.
I had never been this “down and out” emotionally in my whole life…feeling like a failure. Feeling the weight of the world crashing down on me from every angle. Personally...professionally.
I prayed to God, asking him for guidance. “Why is this happening? I have tried to live right. I have always tried to be responsible and take care of my family. Why is life so hard all the time?”
I prayed…
And prayed…
And prayed…
And heard dead silence.
Normally when I pray, a calm reassurance—almost like the arm of God comes around my shoulders and I know in my heart it will work out…giving me the strength to go on.
One foot in front of the other...like my best friend always tells me. And she should know...as she lost her beloved husband this year.
This time…silence and a feeling of despair unlike anything I’ve ever known overwhelmed me.
On Saturday at the Pet Store, I was cleaning fish tanks when I noticed a little girl walking around the store with a shoe box with wholes punched in the top. I asked one of our employees about the little girl and the employee said, “She arrived on a DART bus by herself and said she needed to see the vet”.
The little girl continued to walk around for a while. Curiosity got the best of me and I asked her, “What do you have in your shoe box?”
“A hamster” she says quietly—tears pooling in her eyes. “He has something wrong with him. His eye fell out and there’s stuff coming out”.
Dr. Andrews, our veterinarian, came into the store and I took the little girl and her shoe box into the vet clinic. Dr. Andrews examined the pet and determined he had a terrible virus and needed medicine. However, we cannot dispense prescription medicine to a little girl.
I went back to cleaning fish tanks.
The little girl got back on the bus.
I just kept getting flash backs of that little blonde haired girl--that shoe box—and that little girl’s crocodile tears. And I thought of the bravery it took for her to get on a bus by herself and bring her beloved pet in for help.
The next day---Andy, my boyfriend and I, took the medicine and went on a mission in search for the little girl’s house. We rode around the neighborhood where we knew the bus had picked her up. I saw the little girl playing with a group of children. We stopped and rolled down the window. “Hey! Are you the girl that brought in the sick hamster to Pet Depot yesterday?” Andy asked.
The little girl took off running…as fast as she could go. We followed her in our truck and saw her run into her house and shut the door.
Andy and I walked to the door and rang the bell.
No answer.
We knocked.
No answer.
We were almost ready to give up when the little girl’s mother answered the door. It was apparent she was very ill. She said she couldn’t accept the medicine because she had no way to pay for it. Her daughter was hiding in the house because she was afraid she had done something wrong in bringing the pet to the pet store without any money to pay the veterinarian and thought she was in big trouble. Her mother apologized for any inconvenience.
Andy explained that we were not here to collect the money for the vet visit. We gave the medicine to the little girl and asked her in exchange for payment if she’d come by the store and help with the animals. She could help feed them and play with them so they can be socialized.
The little girl smiled and took the medicine.
“Do you remember how to administer the medicine like Dr. Andrews showed you?” I asked?
“Yes.” Said the little girl.
And I drove home with that calm…reassuring arm of God around my shoulder…...
And I prayed….
“Thank you God…for allowing me to experience hardship in my own life so that I may be able to walk with an attitude of empathy…and I can be humble”
And God showed me a way to get my electric bill paid on time…..
And all I have to say is…………
Amen to that…….
