Sometimes I ask myself, what does compassion mean?
I usually find the answer in an example set by my Mom, and in one of her sayings: “If we don’t help, then who will?”
I recently wrote about putting that example into practice, when we cleaned house for a disabled woman who became overwhelmed while trying to take care of herself, her home, and her pets. Every other cleaning service she called had turned her down, and she was desperate.
It turns out Reese Cleaning had another opportunity to help a fellow human in need — and although we were well within our rights to say “no,” I remembered the words of my mother again: “If we don’t help, then who will?”
Here’s what happened: We received a phone call from a man who was concerned about his neighbor and lifetime friend, whom he and other neighbors hadn’t heard from in a few days. The caller told me his friend needed special services, so he had gone to check up on him. When he did, he found his friend nearly unconscious.
He immediately called 911 and got his friend emergency care. Later, while gathering some of his friends’ clothes to take to the hospital, he noticed the deplorable condition of the home. That’s when he reached out to us.
We came out to the house and surveyed the condition. It was clear this man had been having trouble cleaning up after himself for a while.
Some cleaning companies refuse to clean up human or animal waste. But I look at it like this: If we refuse to clean up after someone who’s had an accident, or who has a disability that keeps them from walking/cleaning up after their pet — who’s also their best and most loyal friend — then who will do it?
We
We were just happy to help: Sometimes the joy is not in the money that you make, but in your company’s ability to help another human being.
