Anyone who has lost a parent will know of the regrets over lost time that you could have spent together, so no doubt the following story will touch your heart.
An American woman has come out in praise of the stranger who came to her aid when she needed it the most, and enabled her to spend time with her mother in her final days.
Writing in her blog, Scary Mommy, Laura Genovich reveals that she was on-board a flight to Florida, to see her critically ill mother, when she was informed that the trip was cancelled due to a maintenance problem.
With her three-month-old in tow, Laura was convinced that she was not going to make it to her mother’s bedside, and engaged in lengthy and emotionally-charged phone calls with her family.
It was while waiting to get off the plane that Laura was approached by Mary, and total stranger who had overheard her predicament and pledged to help her until she found another flight.
Not only did Mary help Laura to get off the plane, but when she went to purchase her ticket, Mary insisted on paying.
“I told her that she did not have to do that; that I could pay it, but she insisted, telling me that it was a Thanksgiving and Christmas gift to me. I cried harder, telling her I would pay it forward. She told me to go take care of my dad and my baby, and that would be paying it forward,” recalled Laura.
Thankfully, Laura made it to her mother’s house and got to spend her final days with her. Laura Senior passed away three days later.
Closing her blog post, Laura expressed her gratitude to Mary, and indeed to all those good Samaritans who touch people’s lives every day.
“I want to publicly express my gratitude for these random acts of kindness. I want to thank Mary for her selflessness and generosity, and Southwest Airlines for their unparalleled customer service. This was more than customer service - this was customer care - and it is truly worth more to me than I can express,” she wrote.
