An 81-year-old woman from Phoenix was on the receiving end of an act of kindness after strangers and neighbors came together to help clean her front yard.
Margo had just celebrated her 81st birthday, and although her biggest present came a week later, it was the most thoughtful and just what she needed.
Ra’sheen Turpin works as a postman and frequents Margo’s neighborhood. Eight years into his work now, he has come to know the people by name and always greets them with a big smile. Recently, he noticed that Margo’s compound had become overgrown with weeds and grass and felt the need to do something.
He also noticed how frail Margo had become after she had a fall three years ago; yet with her limited mobility, she was hauling dead palm leaves and doing what she could to keep her surroundings clean with her bare hands.
“I saw her doing that, and I was like, ‘Oh no, she shouldn’t be doing that,’” Turpin said. “It was just sad to see that. She had no tools that you could see.”
Feeling compassionate, Turpin took a picture of the house and shared it on social media, calling out for help in the Garfield Historic Neighborhood.
Immediately, Samantha Young, who runs a yard cleaning business, responded to the call. “You could just see that she needed help,” Young said. “It was just too big of a job. She’s probably on a fixed income and can’t afford to get her big yard done.”
Young then cleaned Margo’s yard in a matter of hours for free. Some of the residents even sent her donations, as they couldn’t physically be there to help and wanted to compensate for her time.
Margo is grateful for the help she has received. Others have helped her in the past, and this time she was grateful for what Turpin did for her and how Young came about to take care of the need.
As for Turpin, he said, “It’s called United States Postal Service; people forget the ‘service’ part. We’re here to help. It costs nothing to be kind, nothing.”
We are grateful for people like Turpin and Young. What a heartwarming story of people being kind and considerate toward one another. It is what truly makes life worth living – looking out for one another, especially in times of need.
