“There are no strangers here, only friends you haven’t yet met.”
– Williams Buttler Yeats
This line of the famous Irish poet beautifully sums up how a stranger became a friend of Almay and her family.
The world in which we live is a materialistic world. Here more often, people value money more than an individual. But what happened in the life of Almay and her family proved that this world has good samaritans too. He was a stranger but he gave her a precious gift.
This is the story of a teenage girl Almay, a resident of High Point, North Carolina. The 14 year old is wheelchair – bound. Getting off the school bus is a miserable part of the day for Almay. She required her father, Anthony Belton’s assistance to climb the front stairs to get into her house.
Like any other teenager, Almay wanted to be independent. She did not want to be dependent on others to do her day to day activities. But owing to her physical disability, she had to rely on her father every time she got back home from school. The feeling that she was dependent on others broke her morale.
Everyday, as Almay got down from the bus she used to sulk. It was very difficult for her as she kept bumping and dumping down the steps. Her father, Anthony was already having back issues. He was growing older and his back added to the misery. With a lot of effort and pain he used to help his daughter climb the stairs everyday.
Joe Hill, a local business owner was driving by, when he saw Anthony Belton pushing his daughter up the stairs. Their ordeal made him emotional. He felt that they needed a helping hand. He decided to help the family.
Joe Hill was the owner of Premier Waterproofing. He stopped his huge truck in front of Belton’s house. He headed straight to their door and knocked. He introduced himself and made an offer.
Joe Hill offered to build a ramp which could help Almay climb the steps to her house. He asked for their permission to come there and build the ramp. He assured them that he did not want a penny in exchange.
Anthony Belton was bewildered on hearing the offer. He felt sceptical about Joe Hill. He knew that nobody would offer to help without anything in return. Joe hill wasn’t joking. On Monday, Joe Hill and his team came to Belton’s house and built a ramp free of charge for Almay.
Anthony Belton was taken aback to know that Joe Hill kept up his word. He did not charge them a penny for the ramp. That day, Almay got off the bus and came up to the house all by herself. Anthony Belton’s joy knew no bounds. The pain that a helpless dad, Anthony Belton had suffered till date vanished when he saw the joy in his daughter’s face as she managed to get to her house all by herself.
This Christmas, Joe Hill became the santa of the Belton family. Almay and her parents will always be indebted to Joe Hill for giving them such a wonderful and thoughtful gift.
“Selfless giving is the art of living”
– Frederic Lenz
Joe Hill, a true samaritan showed the world that a life lived for others is a life worthwhile.
