A Generous Heart

By Jennifer E. Bailey

You have not lived today until you have done something for someone who can never repay you.
~John Bunyan

My in-laws loved to travel and every winter would visit different countries. While they were gone some friends moved into their house so it would not be left empty. When Dad and Mom returned, their friends would then pack up and head south for their own time away. This arrangement worked very well for many years.

Sadly, Dad was stricken with an incurable illness and it looked as though those trips would no longer be possible. Wanting to enjoy a final cruise with him while he was still able to recognize and enjoy their trip, Mom went about taking care of the details. Unfortunately, the couple who usually house-sat for them assumed that traveling days were over for Dad and went ahead and made their own plans to go south for the winter. This left my in-laws with no one to look after their home.

Other family members had jobs or young children in school, making it impossible for them to come and stay. Our children were older, and I didn't work outside of our home so it was decided that it would be easiest for me to re-arrange my schedule — I would be the one to house-sit.

I wasn't thrilled with the decision. I'm used to streetlights shining in my windows at night, the continual hum of traffic, stores that are open 24/7, and the comforting knowledge that I'm surrounded by other city dwellers. The thought of staying alone in a country home for an extended period of time made me anxious.

In addition, I had just been diagnosed with multiple sclerosis, a debilitating neurological condition. Because of this diagnosis and not knowing much about the disease, I was feeling pretty scared. How would I cope being on my own if I had an episode? Someone staying with me would have made this commitment easier to face, but there was no one available and I felt I had to do it. Despite my fear, I simply couldn't let Dad and Mom down. When everyone realized how difficult it was going to be for me to be on my own the entire time, it was agreed that I would return home on the weekends.

I tried to keep myself busy. Each day I walked down to the bottom of the driveway to collect the mail, I crafted a wall hanging and sewed curtains for four large windows, filled the bird feeders, chased away the raccoons, cleaned the house from top to bottom, watched an occasional TV show and spent a frustrating couple of hours trying to get on dial-up Internet. Chatting with friends and family on the phone helped sustain me, but these conversations and the simple chores didn't totally fill my time. Basically I did whatever I could to keep my mind off the fact that I was there alone.

Come Friday I would head back to the city to meet up with friends and spend time with my husband and our family. On Monday, the car filled with groceries, I'd make the drive back to my in-laws house.

During my third week in the country the temperature dropped and a massive snowstorm set in. The driveway filled in quickly with wet, heavy snow. I hadn't seen that much snow since I was a child, and as lovely as it was, I feared that I wouldn't be able to get out. It was very cold and every day the snow kept falling. On Thursday night it started to rain. The rain turned to sleet and covered everything with a thick coating of treacherous ice. With a sinking heart I knew I wouldn't be going home that weekend. Disappointed and feeling very low, I worried about having enough food. What would I do if the power went out? What if I fell? It continued to sleet and I spent a restless night wondering what the next day would bring.

Friday morning I awoke to a winter wonderland. The trees were weighed down with ice and everything sparkled. The sky had cleared, and looking out over the deck through the forest I could see that a snowplow had cleaned the road, but the surrounding countryside was blanketed in a deep hill of unbroken white. I felt utterly helpless.

Suddenly I heard a noise I didn't recognize coming from the front of the house. I ran across the room to the window and saw a man I had never met shovelling the driveway. The noise I heard was him trying to break through the crusted ice with nothing more than a shovel. Who was this guy? Why was he shovelling the driveway? I was almost afraid to ask if he had the right address because I wanted the driveway cleared so badly.

As I stood there watching, the realization sank in that I might be freed. Relief flooded over me and tears sprang into my eyes. After taking a moment to compose myself, I put on my coat and boots and went out to help him. It took an exhausting four hours to clear that driveway and because my enthusiasm was greater than what I could actually accomplish, he did most of the heavy work. It turned out he was my in-laws' closest neighbour and before they left Mom had let him know I would be staying at the house while they were away. She also explained to him how important it was for me to go back to the city on the weekends.

Apparently he had his eye on the house and was watching out for me. Earlier that morning when he had walked around the property he saw the state of the driveway and realized I wasn't going anywhere. Out of the goodness of his heart he generously took on the task of ensuring it was cleared so I could get home. After the driveway was clear he waited until my car was loaded and I was ready to leave, and made sure I was safely on my way.

When I looked back through the rearview mirror I saw him still standing there by the garage, waving goodbye. My heart was filled with thankfulness towards this kind man and his selfless act. I drove home feeling on top of the world.

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