The Blog2inspire Contest

It was the summer of 2007 and I remember it as though it were yesterday. I was spending a relaxing Saturday with my two youngest nieces. A day like any other day that would soon become one I would never forget.

You see my youngest niece, who was all of three at the time, loves the water and is/was much too young to understand depth, current, or heaven forbid, drowning.

But I am getting ahead of myself. This story is about overcoming prejudice in our daily lives.

Like everyone else, I read, hear and listen to the news and am deeply saddened by the influx of illegal aliens into our beloved country. Don't get me wrong, I am all for people or families bettering themselves from an environment that is best described as third world, but I also contend that it should be done legally, not illegally. In allowing illegal entry into our borders, we also allow the good with the bad.

The horror that has ensued is the mexican gangs that have now flooded our country, and unfortunately, have left so many of us with a very poor and distasteful view of any hispanic persons, but especially those that are unable to speak our language. We feel offended that they have entered our land and suspect them of any and all horrendous crimes at any given time.

It is a truth. An ugly truth of the gang activity that comes with illegal entry. But then the media seldom paints a portrait that includes both sides of the coin. There are good people, fine people, that have crossed that border illegally, for reasons that would give most of us nightmares. Yet we hear very little of them or of their courageous deeds and victories in attempting to rescue themselves from a life with no hope.

On this fine Saturday, my faith in the good of mankind - even those that make seemingly illicit decisions and whose acts are considered unconstitutional - would be renewed and forever established in my being.

My nieces and I took a walk through a local park. It was the first time I had visited this recreational area and I soon discovered the park included a small pond. We passed many children, families, athletes, etc, enjoying a few hours outdoors on a beautiful day. We even saw several hispanic families fishing in this very pond. People of all colors, nationalities and religions enjoying an outing on a beautiful summer day.

My niece inevitably found her way near the water line. A concrete abutment, which included a platform with water only two inches deep was her newfound joy. She was happily stomping her feet just to see the water splash. I was a few feet away, listening to her older sister complain that she couldn't find the swings or the sliding board when the inevitable happened.

She slipped on the mossy growth attached to the concrete and could not get back up. She was still in two inches of water, sitting upright, but looking at her aunt in disbelief because she couldn't get back on her feet. I stepped on the abutment to pull her back up.. got a good grip on her and then discovered the slime... as I landed on my duff... niece in tow... and went sliding into the pond.

I will mention here, there were at least fifty people near us.. less than 100 feet away.

As I slid off the abutment into the water, that sense of survival kicked into auto pilot. I distinctively knew to keep my niece close to me and above water and to land in such a manner as to be able to float both of us to safety. What I didn't expect was the water's depth.

There was no bottom. I am a tall person but my feet never touched anything solid and my niece began screaming and thrashing as I struggled to climb back up the abutment and out of the water. I immediately told the older niece to stay back, we were fine. Her facial expression was unforgettable.

Because of the ooze covering the concrete on all sides, there was no climbing out, and the pond was so designed that the shoreline did not exist. It was simply an immediate drop from the edge of any area and no signs warning of the immediate decline.

The first and ONLY persons to my aide were several mexican males.

They did not speak a word of english.

They did not hesitate to lend a hand, even at their own risk.

They fished my niece and myself out with ease and asked for nothing in return but to know that we were safe. They acted without hesitation and without a thought as to color or racial difference.

I could not thank them. I don't speak spanish. I could not thank them enough. I couldn't have exited that pond with my niece without their help and my gratitude must have shown all over my face and I have never felt so indebted to strangers as I did in that moment. Their kindness goes beyond appreciation. Somewhere in heaven, there is a special place for people with hearts like theirs.

On that day, I learned that no one should be judged by circumstance, for none of us has walked in the shoes of another.

We should, just as these strangers had, reach out a hand whenever possible and be thankful in all things for what we have been given, for we never know when we may need another's hand reaching out to us.