I wound up taking most of the day off from work yesterday to drive 200 miles to help a Friend.  It was a long and exhausting day.  This is a person who ten months ago I didn’t even know, let alone care about.

But this isn’t a post on what I did.

It’s that I was struck by a number of people and things that came together to help my Friend.  A relatively large number of selfless people.  Enough that thinking about it makes my eyes water.  Enough that even writing this post causes me to choke up.

I was struck that amongst all those who I interacted with to help my Friend, not a single person did so with any expectations or desires of anything in return.  We helped, simply, because it is what you do.

• There was the person at work who made sure I was going to drive my Friend.  She made it clear that that not helping would have been a personal disappointment.
• There was the person who moved mountains in what felt like record time to make sure my Friend had certain resources.
• There was my other friend who did me a favor to help my Friend, who pulled in his own circle to help.

Lastly, my children.  My children have meet my Friend exactly twice and once was last night.  Yet they exhibit all the passion and care for humankind a parent could only wish for.

• There was my daughter who made it absolutely clear that I needed to make sure my Friend knew to call me whenever, should my Friend need help.  My seven year old daughter.
• There was my son who checks in with me daily asking how my Friend is doing, who reminds me we have a spare room should my Friend need a place to stay. My nine year old son.

There is that adage that it takes a village to raise a child.  The truth in that felt real yesterday.  There was this sense all day that here we all are, many voices, one planet, one people.