unsung hero

A while ago, her place of work was situated on a four-lane highway, at the foot of a mountain, with cars zipping past at considerable speed due to the steep descent.

At the close of the day, as she walked out of the store, two cars crashed head-on just yards in front of her.

She ran to the nearest car and saw the two occupants were deceased. She then ran to the second car, where a hysterical young pregnant woman sat pinned by the steering wheel and smashed dashboard. She crawled into the wrecked vehicle and began to talk to the young woman and to comfort her.

When the rescue squad arrived, she sat under the protective covering they provided, holding onto the woman, praying and comforting her. She maintained her vigil while rescue personnel used the jaws of life to free the woman and her unborn child from the mangled wreck.

She watched and prayed as the woman, placed into a medical evacuation helicopter for transport, left the scene. I’m sure if allowed, she would have been on the journey with her. On the ascent, the tail of the helicopter got caught in power lines and struggled to continue, but was finally on its way.

She learned later; the young woman had fallen asleep behind the wheel. The car she crashed into was that of a mother and daughter vacationing in the mountains. Sadly, the two precious women passed immediately on impact. The young woman lost her baby and suffered other physical injuries.

She kept in touch with the young lady and her family.

Would I have had the courage to do what she did? Or would I have hesitated, afraid to crawl into a car that could potentially catch on fire? I have no clue. But, one thing I do know, and she demonstrated that day, is that true courage is not the absence of fear, but the willingness to proceed in spite of it.

 . . . . .

More recently, she was at Walmart. She noticed an elderly lady struggling with her cart. She offered to help her take the purchases to her car. When they got to the older model vehicle, she noticed there was a flat tire. She phoned and had someone come to replace the tire. The mechanic informed her that the remainder of the tires had dry rot, and it was dangerous to drive in that condition.

She felt she was to help. She called her husband to see if her plan was okay with him; it was. She had the woman follow her to the garage and had all of her tires replaced, at her expense.

The woman, in her nineties, was in tears and wanted to repay her in some way. Of course, she told her there was no need; it was a gift from Jesus, and to thank Him for it.

. . . . .

An unsung hero is a person who has committed acts of bravery or self-sacrifice, yet, is not celebrated or recognized. An unsung hero might be someone who acts bravely, compassionately, or kindly in an unexpected situation without notice or someone who sacrifices him or herself, for good, without recognition.

Unsung heroes are not always in uniform; some of them dress just like you and me.

The “She,” in my stories above, is an unsung hero. Until today, that is. And, she is not only one of my heroes, but she also happens to be my precious daughter-in-law.

She, herself, would not be telling you these stories unless directly asked about them, and may not like the idea that I am sharing them. But, it is scriptural, so how can she argue with that, right? Proverbs 27:2 Let other people praise you--even strangers; never do it yourself.

‘til next time,

~ Betty Jo