I
ate a late lunch of Steak & Veggies at Cracker Barrel about 2:00 pm
on Sunday..so my Sunday run would have to wait..estimate?.. maybe
4:00pm..would be done by 4:45.

Then
I remembered..today is the deadline for the 5K online signup..so at 4
pm I am on Active.com paying my $20 early signup fee..my wife is asleep
in the recliner..so I stop to write a note.."Gone to run @ 4:30 "..she
does not stir as I lay the note beside her.

The
temperature is about 59 degrees..I put on my sweats and running
shoes..then I stop in the basement to stretch..now it is 4:45..I would
have been done by now I thought... I walk the 200 yds down my driveway
to the road..I hear a vehicle leaving from my neighbors house across the
road..it's her son who stops in to check on his widowed mom..she's
92..his truck is out of sight when I reach the road..I start my
stopwatch and begin to jog.

My
legs feel a little stiff and tight so I stop at the 1/2 mile and stretch
some more..I then restart my watch and run my 5K..uphill on the first
half..then mostly downhill coming back..not much traffic on my
road..it's Sunday afternoon.

So
now I reach the end of my 5k sprint and I do some lunges and stretching
before the cool-down jog home...As I come in sight of my place I notice 2
dogs lying in the sun..they don't bark..they are used to my scent..only
a 1/4 mile to go and I hear a voice break the silence..At first just a
faint sound..not  words..I run on..then came words"Can you help me?"

As I look to my left I see a head of white hair close
to the ground, 100 yds from the road near the fence..I run in that
direction..It is my neighbors place and the voice is that of her 95 y/o
sister, Clarabelle..she is lying on the ground with one arm across the
rail of the cattle gate.."Are you hurt?" I ask.."No I don't think
so..but I can't get up"..There were food scraps on the ground and an
empty bucket..she was throwing them over the fence when she tripped and
fell, barely missing the metal gate that she now clung to, trying to
lift herself up.

After
checking her face and arms for signs of injury I place my arms under
her armpits and raise her up to her feet but she still cannot stand..so I
just hold her there..she then places her hands on the top rail of the
gate and puts some weight on her feet..I am still holding on to her for
at least 5 minutes until I'm sure she can stand..I see her walker in the
driveway..and a cane on the ground near the gate.."Is your sister home"
I ask. "Yes", she says..so I told her not to move and I would get her
walker and cane..I ran for the walker fearing she would fall again..she
turned to grip the walker as she leaned on the gate..I then knocked and
rang their doorbell until I aroused her sister who was taking a
nap..with both of us steadying her pace, 95 y/o Clarabelle slowly
shuffles toward the house, all the while being chided by Francis, her
sister.."I told you not to go outside anymore!"..Clarabelle just smiles a
knowing smile and keeps her peace.."You are heavier than you look" I
told Clarabelle, breaking up the scolding. Francis says" I could have
never got her up by myself!".. When I was assured of their safety I said
my goodbyes and started my jog home. It was about 5:45pm.

I
pondered the chain of seemingly random events that led me to that moment
when I heard her voice calling out..all the "what ifs"..the timing..If I
had my Ipod, which I forgot, would I have heard the voice?..If I had
run at 4pm as planned, would I have been in the shower by then..how long
would she have laid there?..How long would her sister have slept before
she discovered her there?..

These
were not random events I suppose...my fate and her's were intertwined
somehow..no other explanation...The story of the "Good Samaritan", which
I heard just hours before, had come to life before my eyes..How could
he not have stopped to help?..He was the only one!..I feel blessed that I
was chosen to be the "only one"...Is this what it feels like to make a
difference?..It is a good feeling. ">