For the cause

The day dawned bright and sunny as 250 women prepared to embark on a walkathon to benefit Chai Lifeline, an organization dedicated to helping people with sick family members. Volunteers of the organization visit hospitalized children, visit recuperating children and their siblings in their home, deliver gift packages, prepare meals and assist in transporting people to hospitals.
I was unable to participate in the walkathon since I had to be at work but a friend asked if I would sponsor her and I gladly agreed.
Last night, curious as to whether the event was successful, I phoned a friend who told me she would be joining the walk. She had only superlatives to describe the day. The weather was magnificent, the event was well organized and there was a great sense of unity as women from all over, walking in pants, walking in skirts, with shaytels, without shaytels, came together to participate in a common cause.
"S. is a tzaddekes," my friend related to me. "S. arrived at the bus stop with her 80-year-old widowed neighbor. She kept up an animated conversation with her during the 20 minute bus ride and then walked with her at a leisurely pace, following the path of the walk and allowing her neighbor to lean on her, as needed. They successfully completed the walkathon and S. escorted her back to the bus."
Many women used the walkathon as an excuse to get fresh air, socialize and exercise while benefitting a great cause. S. used those hours to extend her hand in friendship of a lonely woman.
"S. gets Olam Haba for what she did yesterday," my friend opined.
I agreed with her and thought to myself. "Yesterday, I did what was required of me. But S. did what wasn't required. And therein lies the difference."
This mornng, the weather is at least fifteen degrees cooler and it has been raining incessantly.
The sun smiled on these special women yesterday. May there come a time when we won't need such an organization. In the meantime, I salute those women who carved time into their busy schedules for such a worthy cause.