From a Burning Car

From a Burning Car

I am writing this minutes after helping two other men pull a lady from a burning car. I was in my home watching Lasha Talaxadze become arguably one of the greatest weightlifting heavyweights of all-time. Then out of nowhere, I hear a massive boom as if a bomb had gone off. I rushed to look out the door, and I saw what appeared to be a crash. I jerked my shoes on, grabbed my flashlight, and ran towards the road.

When I arrived on the scene, a sweet little African-American lady was trying to get away from her burning car. There were two other men on the scene, so we dragged the lady from the car and out of the road. Her right lower leg had a massive gash that was bleeding, so I took my coat off and applied pressure to the wound. Then the car ignited even more, and I just knew that it was going to explode. I have probably watched too many movies as I was anticipating a small nuclear blast.

This scared the daylights out of me, so we drug the lady farther away from the scene. I felt so badly for the sweet lady as she was screaming in pain. All that I could think about was what if this was my wife or mother laying in the middle of the road. Then the thought dawned on me, “was there someone else in the car?” I asked the lady if she was the only one in the car, and she told us that she was the only one. I am honest in saying that I was thankful because I was scared. I didn’t want to get killed trying to save someone else, but I was going to do it. Not because I am some hero, but because that’s what people do in times like this.

This article isn’t really about that. It’s about looking in that sweet lady’s eyes as she lay in the rain with a bleeding leg and broken ankle. She looked so scared and sad, and my heart broke for her. I just wanted to hold her, and all of a sudden in that moment color no longer existed. It was a sweet old lady probably someone’s mother, sister, or grandmother, and some buys just trying to help her. I sit down beside her and applied pressure to her leg with my coat, and I just talked to her trying to bring her comfort. I just wanted her to be ok.

Soon help arrived, and the three of us helped the EMTs and the Police get her stabilized and into the ambulance. During my short walk back to the house, my heart was broken for the world. I thought of all the hate in the world inflicted on others because of a different color of skin. I felt a pain that crushed my heart, and made me sick to my stomach. I can only imagine the hurt that God must feel when He looks down on the world.

This little lady had the sweetest brown eyes that seemed to glow in the night as they reflected the lights of the flashlights. Her face had glimpses of a life filled with love, loss, happiness, and defeats an American Tale that so many of us share. We all have stories. We have things that we are proud of, and we have things that we regret. Some of us have success more than others, but one thing for sure we’ve all lived in the same world.

Within this world we encounter people that aren’t the same as us. Some have different hair than others. Some have different skin. Some are tall, and some are short. However tonight I realized that there is one place that we are all the same. When I stared into the eyes of this battered woman, I realized that we are all the same in the eyes. Yeah some are blue, some are green, and some are brown, but an eye is an eye. This little lady was just a little lady.

How can racism ever end? I didn’t find the answer tonight, but my heart sure was broken for the world. What makes someone hate a group of people because of their color of skin? How can this still happen in 2017?

• Whites hate blacks
• Blacks hate whites
• Jews hate Muslims
• Muslims hate Jews
• Atheists hate Christians
• Christians hate atheists

The list can go on and on, but no one can ever give a good reason for any of this. It makes no sense. Here’s a thought: people are people. Now that’s a fact. This little lady was no different than my own mother lying in the road beside a burning car. She wasn’t a black lady. She was just a lady lying in the road scared, cold, and confused in immense pain.

During 9/11, for a split second America was united. We were all afraid and angry, and we just wanted to help one another. We were just people. Then after some time, things went back to normal. People start hating anyone different than them, and no one can ever give a solid answer for any of the hate. I just don’t get it.

When I walked back in my home tonight, my wife was up waiting on me to get back home. She has watched me pull the lady from the car. I told her what happened, and then we just held each other. I was scared, wet, and trembling, but mainly I was sad. I was heartbroken that my children have to grow up in a world filled with so much hate and prejudice.

You know God gives us two main rules to live by: Love Him with all our heart, and Love others like we do ourselves. That just about sums it all up. If we could just focus on these two things, none of this mess would ever happen. He doesn’t say to love others that look like us.

I am not sure if any of these words mean a thing to any of you, but I needed to say them. I pray that lady is ok, and I hope that her hospital room is filled with loved ones. I pray for a world filled with people that simply love each other. I pray for a world that is color blind.

All of us strive for a better life. All of us want to see our loved ones safe and happy. All of us want to be happy, and we want our families happy. We all have good times and bad times. These similarities are a good place to start our new focus. Instead of thinking so much about our differences, let’s focus on these similarities. I’m not saying that we will always agree on things. You don’t have to agree with me. My rights end where your rights begin. Don’t force me to think like you, and I want force you to think like me. If we remember these words, we can get through this life together helping each other and loving each other.

We teach our children these lessons. Don’t you think that it’s time that we follow those lessons?

The scene from my house: