An Extraordinary Act of Love

Last night I tried the Meditation for Restless People technique, and it worked fabulously.  I tried it right before bed.  It was just what I needed to clear my mind for a good night’s rest.  I had planned on reading for a few minutes after meditating, but the meditation did such a great job relaxing me that I fell asleep, which was ok by me because it was bedtime anyway!  Last night Hubby and I got a little more rest than usually, and it has really paid off today.

In the comments yesterday Pat and Julie both suggested doing a walking meditation, which I think is a fantastic idea.  Rejuvenating your mind at the same time exercising your body is very appealing.  I’m definitely going to give it a try some time.  Thank you for the suggestion!

As a special treat today’s post is written by my Hubby about an experience my father-in-law had recently, and his remarkable reaction to help another by putting himself in harm’s way.

My dad was riding his bike on New Year’s Day with a neighbor in Tucson, AZ. There is a walking path that follows the road they were riding on.  At one point the path dips down making it hard to see. As they rode pass this part of the path my Dad noticed what he thought was a man in the bush struggling with a dog. 

From the distance it appeared the man had the dog by a collar, leading him to think maybe the man was trying to train the dog.  As my Dad rode 50 yards or so past he looked back and could see the man really struggling with the “dog”, and then heard a cry for help. He rode his bike back toward the man, got off, and went down the hill on foot to where he was.

The man was bleeding a lot from the bites the Javelina had inflicted on him.  A Javelina is similar to a wild boar with long large teeth.   The stranger was jittery trying to shake off the shock from the attack.  It was then my Dad decided it would be a good idea to have something to fend off the animal should it return.  He went into the bush about 25 yards and picked up two sticks.  One was around the size of a baseball bat, and the other was more of a small log.

When he returned the Javelina was once again attacking the stranger with its mouth viscously digging into the man’s arm.  My Dad took the smaller stick and hit the animal in the backend hoping it would scare the animal off.  It did not work.  Next he grabbed the larger stick and hit the Javelina in the head knocking it unconscious.  

Following the intense blow my Father helped the injured man up the hill and onto the road where his neighbor was anxiously awaiting the arrival of the ambulance and police. Once the police arrived they chased and shot the animal. This turned out to be a good thing.  Apparently Javelinas tend to be very shy around people, and are in fact rare in that particular area.  Later it was found out the Javelina that attacked the stranger was rabid, accounting for its unusual behavior.  

A look of shock overcame my face after hearing my Dad tell the story first hand.  At the same time I could not help being slightly amused picturing the whole thing.  It does seem a little funny hearing about my Dad fending off a pig, even though it was one with 3 inch teeth.

What struck me the most about the story was the notion my Dad put himself in harm’s way to help someone in trouble. It is very easy to say you would do the same in that situation, but the truth is most people freeze up and end up a bystander when emergencies happen.  I’m not sure what I would have done, but I hope I would have had the clarity and courage to do the same.

When I heard about this the story it was shocking but I was not at all surprised that my father-in-law put himself in harm’s way to help out another person.  It is exactly what I would have imagined him to do in that situation.  His ability to think clearly and stay calm in a dangerous situation is incredible, and we admire him for that.  What a great example of giving love to a complete stranger, and an extraordinary blessing that my father-in-law was passing by at just the right moment.

There was an article printed in the Marana Weekly News by Jim Bradbury about this story.  You can follow the link to see the start to the article; however the whole article is not available online as far as we know.

We are so proud of you!

Any comments I will be sure to forward on.

Have a great evening everyone!