While scanning blueprints for their new home, Mom and Dad requested a big bay window. They got their wish. Their living room bay window framed a picturesque view of the Chesapeake Bay and the four-mile Chesapeake Bay Bridge. We kept our binoculars and telescope handy, as there was always something interesting to see from that window. We observed waterfowl, read the names of ships as they passed by, and once in a while we’d zoom in on a submarine’s periscope.
Sadly, on occasion, we’d get word that someone had jumped off the bridge. Whenever the report came around, Mom wouldn’t allow me to go to the beach for fear I might come across a dead body. When news spread that authorities had recovered a body, I could once again resume my kid adventures of beach combing and seashell collecting.
One particular suicide attempt made headlines. A Maryland State Trooper spotted a woman standing against the railing—staring into the Chesapeake Bay two hundred feet below. He stopped, grabbed one of her arms and hung on to her as she dangled above the choppy bay waters. Soon, others rushed to help and pulled her over the rail to safety. The next day, the headlines read, Officer Saves Woman from Fateful Jump.
We never know what others are going through. A smile. A conversation. A phone call. An encounter with an acquaintance or maybe someone we never met before.
Be kind and merciful. Let no one ever come to you without going away better and happier. Be the living expression of God’s kindness. Mother Teresa
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