It is not what life brings us, but the manner in which we receive it, that shapes our destiny.
~Marie Dubsky
“You want me to do what?” I was in a wheelchair dance lesson with Brandon, my instructor, and that day he was choreographing a new routine. I wasn’t sure I had heard him correctly.
“I want you to let me get you out of your wheelchair during the routine, then let me guide you while you walk for a few steps. Then I will lift you and spin you around, and carry you back to your wheelchair,” Brandon repeated.
Upon seeing the flash of fear in my eyes, he said, “C’mon, Lorraine. Trust me. It will all work out.”
I had known Brandon for a few years at that point, and one of the things I loved about him was that he was continually pushing me outside my comfort zone. I was used to people focusing on what I couldn’t do. Brandon never did. In the time we had worked together, he had come up with numerous dance moves I didn’t think I could execute. But with his faith and patience and my trust in him, we always found a way to make them work.
A few weeks later, my next-door neighbor told me that a tree in my back yard had been struck by lightning in a recent storm and was almost completely split in two. Part of the tree was in danger of crashing into his kitchen.
The next morning, I started to get bids to remove the tree. It was the biggest hedge tree anybody had ever seen, and I could say the same about the size of the bids to take it down. They ranged from $4,000 to $6,500.
I was lost. There was no way my limited income from Social Security Disability could cover an expense like this.
I called Brandon. After explaining the whole situation to him, I told him how stressed out I was, and he suggested we pray. Faith was something Brandon and I shared. “Hang in there, Lorraine,” he said. “Nothing is impossible with God. It will all work out.”
Over the next few days, the cloud of worry weighed me down. I called every tree guy who had been recommended to me, and every bid was out of my reach. It was hard, in this situation, not to let the stress snuff out my faith. Usually, when things come up in my life, it is fairly easy to devise a plan I can break down into baby steps and tackle slowly. I had never had to deal with anything like this before. It felt bigger than I was and more than I could do.
Then one evening, Brandon called. “Hey, Lorraine. Rachel and I sponsor the youth group at our church. We have been looking for a project we could do with the kids, and I think we may have found it. Would it be okay if we organized a fundraiser to get your tree taken down?”
I hesitated. I need to have people help me with many things in my life, everything from getting dressed to getting around town. Because I have to get help for physical things on a daily basis, getting help taking my tree down seemed like too much to ask of anyone.
When I expressed my concern to Brandon, he said, “Lorraine, I have one question for you. If the situation were reversed and I needed your help, what would you do?” The answer was easy. I would do whatever I could.
“I don’t know if we can raise fifty cents, but I would like to try and raise this money, okay?”
I couldn’t say no.
Within days, Brandon posted a fundraising video on YouTube. The video showed clips of us dancing together, along with text explaining my need to take a tree down in my back yard. Brandon put the video up on Facebook and encouraged me to do the same. He set up a PayPal account for donations. Brandon spent an evening teaching dance lessons in exchange for people contributing to my tree-removal fund. The youth group got sponsors to donate as well.
By using social media and word of mouth, donations came in from family, friends, and even strangers. After the church service one Sunday, Bill, the senior pastor at my church, told me that the elders of my church had voted to make up the difference to cover the cost of taking down the tree if the fundraiser did not bring in enough money for the entire expense.
But that was not necessary. Brandon called the next day and gave me incredible news. In two weeks, the community raised five dollars more than the amount I needed to remove the tree.
Through tears of gratitude, I shared the news on Facebook. The post read: “I just got the official word that enough money was raised through the fundraiser to cover the entire cost of removing the tree from my back yard. I am completely overwhelmed by the generosity of people, some who didn’t even know me, who contributed in order to meet this need. I cannot even begin to explain the impact that this kindness has had in my life. I am abundantly blessed!”
One response stuck with me. My friend Katharine said, “That is great news on many levels. The tree is one. Your feeling loved is another.”
This act of kindness by one of my best friends had some unexpected outcomes. The main goal of removing the tree in my yard was accomplished, but in the process I felt the compassion and caring of my community surrounding me in ways I never had before. I learned that I don’t always have to handle things in my life on my own. It’s not only okay to ask for help, but also to draw strength from others when I don’t have much strength left.
Several weeks later, I was back in the dance studio with Brandon. The music we were dancing to swelled in the background, and after several attempts, we successfully executed the complicated dance move he had suggested a few weeks previously. Raising his hand to give me a high-five, he said with a smile, “See, Lorraine, I told you it would all work out.”
He was right.
~Lorraine Cannistra
