Nick

As we were driving down our street yesterday, Nick suddenly said, "Should I help that guy?"

I had been looking down at my nails or something, so I had no idea what he was talking about.

He quickly pulled to the side of the road and said, "I'm going to see if I can help him." Just like that, he jumped out of the car and was gone.

I craned my neck to look out the back window of the van, and could not believe what I saw.

There was a man wearing sunglasses and a backpack, half on the sidewalk and half in someone's yard, flopping around wildly like a fish out of water. It was one of those horrible sights that just take your breath away.

What really took my breath away was to see Nick crouch down beside the man, talk to him gently, try to help him up to his feet, and then kneel in the grass with empathy as the man writhed violently again and again. During one seizure, the man's nose was broken as he helplessly banged his face into the ground.

Nick took the time to comfort the man and hear his story (homeless, no money for epilepsy medication). He was able to offer assistance while also giving the man dignity. He was there when the ambulance answered the call and took the man to get help at the hospital.

It was one of the proudest moments of my life to watch this scene unfold with our children. They watched their dad help someone in need while others just drove past. I hope this memory becomes a permanent part of them...a way of life they embrace for themselves.