The Cab Ride ill Never Forget

[ThePhoenix]

This story brought me to tears.


http://www.zenmoments.org/the-cab-ride-ill-never-forget

“I don’t think that I have done anything more important in my life…”

Twenty years ago, I drove a cab for a living.

It was a cowboy’s life, a life for someone who wanted no boss.

What I didn’t realize was that it was also a ministry.

Because I drove the night shift, my cab became a moving confessional. Passengers climbed in, sat behind me in total anonymity, and told me about their lives. I encountered people whose lives amazed me, ennobled me, and made me laugh and weep.

But none touched me more than a woman I picked up late one August night. I was responding to a call from a small brick fourplex in a quiet part of town. I assumed I was being sent to pick up some partyers, or someone who had just had a fight with a lover, or a worker heading to an early shift at some factory for the industrial part of town.

When I arrived at 2:30 a.m., the building was dark except for a single light in a ground floor window.

Under these circumstances, many drivers would just honk once or twice, wait a minute, then drive away.

But I had seen too many impoverished people who depended on taxis as their only means of transportation.

Unless a situation smelled of danger, I always went to the door. This passenger might be someone who needs my assistance, I reasoned to myself.

So I walked to the door and knocked. “Just a minute”, answered a frail, elderly voice. I could hear something being dragged across the floor.

[grannie4peace]

1. wow you knocked me off my feet- the tears are still running down my face

[babylonsister]

Isn't being humane wonderful? It's scarce, so it's nice to read about once

in awhile. Thanks for this.

[xiamiam]

2. tears here too..touching story..thanks.nt

[melody]

3. What a beautiful, wonderful story. Thanks for posting it. n/t

[jhain]

4. thank you

I am helping to open a tiny Dem headquarters here in Cape May County, NJ- very repub county, trust me. Even though we are not yet officially open -the word is spreading. MANY more supporters than I could have imagined- and I am a native here.
Today someone came by to drop off some donations- shelves...paper, etc. ( I need to do a separate post about this- it has been like Stone Soup!) and he asked for a yard sign for a friend. Like the rest of the nation we can not keep the signs in stock.(have ordered 500 more to arrive this week)and we were out again. There was one we were using as a sign in the window and no one wanted to take it out...until he said his friend was dying..and had always been a 'devout Democrat' and really wanted an Obama sign in his yard before he left this earth.
He left with our last sign.

[Waiting For Everyman]

10. Isn't that something?

"... great moments often catch us unaware - beautifully wrapped in what others may consider a small one."

I sometimes feel like this election is between the human people vs. the money cyborgs. Your story brought that thought to my mind again. When you come right down to it, all the policies and principles are really all about... just having a little humanity in life.

[blue neen]

11. My hat is off to you.

:patriot:

[LynzM]

5. Ooh, that gave me goosebumps...

What a beautiful story...

[file83]

6. Wow, that one caught me off guard.

Thanks for sharing that beautiful story.

[Greyhound]

7. That's what life is about. n/t

:kick: & R

[scarletwoman]

8. I went to the link to read the whole thing -- and OMG, I KNOW the guy who wrote it!

More accurately, he's someone I met and hung out with a few times about 11-12 years ago. He's truly a good and beautiful soul, and a wonderful writer.

It just kind of blew my mind when I got to the end of that lovely cab story and saw his name. :)

sw

[jjanpundt]

20. Great story thanks for posting it. Sometimes I think people have

lost all of their compassion. This story gives me hope.

[blue neen]

9. Very touching story.

That's a great website, BTW. I intend to check that out more often.

[Carni]

12. OK that was depressing...

Wonderful story about a fantastic person driving the cab and a strong woman who had lived a rich life... that shouldn't have ended, but what a bummer! :(

Can we have some happy bullshit stories posted here on DU? lol

Man what a tear jerker! :(

[Withywindle]

17. Shouldn't have ended...but they all do.

It's a tearjerker all right, but not a tragedy really - sooner or later, we WILL all die. A long, rich life like she had is what we all want. With kindness and respect at the end.

[Lorien]

22. What's sad is to end it without any loved ones

I'll be that woman someday...

[rosesaylavee]

13. He's a wonderful writer. Would recommend

reading his book 'Neither Wolf nor Dog' which tells the story of his experience with an unusual native American elder. Just may need to pick it up and reread it myself.

Happy to know he has a blog and will certainly bookmark it to visit again.

[Triana]

14. Nice story - K & R - Nice site too. Emailing it to friends and adding it to blogroll....

..thanks!

[chupacabranation]

15. Incredible.

Take heart. You never know when your 'small interaction' will make someone's day...or their life...

"To the world you may be just one person, but to one person you may be the world...."

[bertman]

16. Beautiful. Thank you for the reminder.

[northofdenali]

18. "Random acts of kindness

and senseless beauty".

Tears of both joy and pain; what a wonderful post to end my Sunday.

Random acts of kindness, everyone. Simple, random acts. They are joy in action.

[progressoid]

19. ...

k&r

[Diclotican]

21. ThePhoenix

ThePhoenix

Thank you for the history. Verry sad end for a old woman yes. But still... Thank you.

Diclotican

Sorry my bad english, not my native language

[pberq]

23. Thank you

That puts things in perspective. It's not about how much money you have.

It's how we treat our fellow human beings, and how we treat ourselves.

[staying left]

24. Thanks for being human!

Yep, got tears in my eyes also! Treating ALL people with dignity should not be the exception to the rule. This goes especially for the poor and elderly.

[Blue_Tires]

25. incredible

i'm bookmarking that site...how have i never heard of it until now??

[intheflow]

26. How lucky she was that hospice took her in.

My best friend is dying of cancer at home as I type because Medicare kicked her out of hospice three weeks ago because she's incurable. Why should the taxpayers pay for end-of-life care when a life is ending anyway? That's compassionate conservatism in action for you.

Sorry to dump about my friend. This was well worth the read, but it sure did make my tears--already close to the surface--stream down my face. Thank you. :hug:

[MISSDem]

27. You never know - you may be entertaining angels unaware.

Every moment is meant to be and precious.

[Blue_Tires]

28. now there is nothing there

did the site vanish? or undergoing fixes?

[ThePhoenix]

30. The site

Is back up.

:)

[4lbs]

29. Here's another working link for it.

I think it's the same one. I didn't read it when it was on the link in the OP.

http://www.weboflove.org/060309cabride