T.A.P. into the Possibilities

Believe that the possibility exists and then make extraordinary things happen.

Tag Archives: compassion


by Leave a comment

Angels Drive Tow Trucks

Two nights ago, I found myself and my passenger stranded on the Long Beach Freeway. There was an accident earlier and all of the pieces from the accident had not been removed from the freeway. I could see the flares had burned down to low flames. I was watching and I still don’t know where the piece came from that obliterated my tire in less than three seconds.

Mountains are not flat and neither is life. We have our ups and we have our downs. We have our negative experiences and we have our positive experiences. I want to talk about the positive experiences that were created out of a daunting experience.

I am immensely grateful that my passenger was patient, calm, and understanding. I spent over an hour on the phone with the road assistance service and was underwhelmed. My faith was restored when a phenomenal human being named Brian Rosales of City Tow Service came to tow my car. He was very kind and went out of his way to help me. Instead of towing my car to the nearest Just Tires in Long Beach, which would’ve left me stranded there, he towed me all the way to Los Angeles. He parked my car at the Just Tires on Beverly Boulevard and gave me a ride home.

I may not have shown it, but I was extremely overwhelmed and have been for a few days. I have never, in the 42 years that I’ve lived in Los Angeles, been stranded on the freeway, but I have called 911 every time I saw a disabled vehicle. They should know my number by now… Lol.

As we rode from Long Beach to Los Angeles, Brian and I had a deep conversation. I shared my experiences with him, and he felt comfortable enough to share his experiences with me. We have a lot in common, including the passing away of immediate family members. I felt a sense of calm with Brian and I was so grateful that he came to my rescue. He definitely restored my faith in the kindness of the human spirit. Brian has been through tremendous hardships, but he has developed into a empathetic and caring human being. It was nice to be on the receiving end of his compassion.

Thank you, Brian!! You were a lifesaver that night, more than you will ever know. I appreciate your kindness and your willingness to help me. I am grateful that you felt comfortable enough with me to share your story. I want you to know that you are an outstanding person, father, son, brother and friend. It is an honor to know you. Thank you! Thank you! Thank you!


by Leave a comment

Learning to Receive

I love doing community outreach. It is so rewarding to see the looks on people’s faces and their reactions when they are inside a moment of kindness. That is what happened to me today when I took my car to Just Tires to get the yearly Lyft California Vehicle Inspection.

When my car was finished and I went back to the receptionist, she informed me that it was $25 and I did not have the cash so I texted my best friend and he sent money via Venmo. Their atmosphere was nice so I was sitting in the lobby enjoying the peace.

Dasiah called me to the counter. When I went over to the counter, she was counting out a stack of one dollar bills and food had just been delivered. I immediately started joking with her. I said, with a smile on my face, “I’ll take a little bit of that food, if you can spare it. She chuckled and kept counting the one dollar bills.

Then I said, “You have enough dollar bills there to hit the strip club” and I laughed loudly. Dasiah kept counting and replied, “These bills are for you. We all chipped in and we are paying your fee for the check-up. I was absolutely stunned and I said, “What…wait…what?!?” I’m not usually speechless, but I was this time.

By then, my friend had sent me the money so I offered to pay for the services and they would not allow me to do that. Their act of kindness really touched my heart and it made me feel very special.

Thank you to my mechanic, Jorge (pictured). Thank you, Just Tires staff (Dasiah, Jorge, Carl, Marco and “anonymous”) for your above-and-beyond customer service. You made my day. 😊


by 2 Comments

Feeding Mr. Grey

An overwhelming desire for some french fries dominated my thoughts and pushed its way up to the top of my to-do list. Luckily, I was not far from a McDonalds that I knew had extremely tasty french fries so I drove in. The anticipation of blowing on a long, perfectly shaped fry before I popped it into my mouth was on replay in my head.. I got my order and drove through the small lot looking for a place to devour my bag of goodies. Ah-ha, I spotted a place in the shade and drove toward it. As I gocloser I saw a shopping cart that I thought was blocking the space. the relief was short lived hen I saw that it wasn;t because then i noticed a man standing to the side of it. His image had been blocked by the parked car beside the open space. i reached into my bag and pulled out a french fry. it did not disappoint as my mouth watered at the taste of perfectly salted potato. I pressed the brake when I saw the homeless man. His cart was probably shiny and silver at one time, but now it had a dull gray tone to it which at certain spots yielded to burgundy spots of jagged rust. His looked like a gray ghost with clothes that had changed from white to gray as they carried the dirt of his struggles in their fabric. His hair was gray not only from dust, but from living a hard life of many years, yet his eyes still kept their hue as he looked at me and smiled. Aw, man, I can’t sit ib frint if him and eat.” I thought. “I have to move to another space so I can eat in peace.”

I drove about six feet when I gave myself a conscious slp in the heart. “What is your problem, Teresa. Are you really going to go to another part of this lot and eat after what you have just seen?!? I dared myself to continue one more inch. the shame was almost too much to bear and I hung my head as I looked at the bag and sighed. I put the car in reverse and drove over to the spot. I asked the guy if he was hungry. He slowly got up and walked over to my car. “Yes, I am,” he replied. “You know, I really love this McDonald’s french fries, but I want to give you this food,  I only ate one fry out of it.” He smiled at me and I gave him the bag and a soda. I then told him, “I am sorry that I almost pulled away. That was very selfish of me and I am ashamed that I did that.” What he said to me confirmed what I suspected, that compassion is a gift that can come from anyone. He said, “I knew you were going to come back, I could see it in your face and then when I saw your break lights come on, I knew you were just trying to work it out in your head.” That gave me a strange sense of relief like he had forgiven my hesitation and I promised him that I would not hesitate at the next opportunity to help someone. I drove back to the drive-thru and ordered again. On my way out of the drive-thru, I saw another man standing next to a worn down bicycle with clothes crumbled up on a make-shift rack which he had attached to the back of the bike. I looked up and said, “Really, God?!? I am not going to get to eat this bag of fries either? I guess I am going to circle the drive-thru all day.”  I laughed and drove up to the man who smiled at me as if he knew what was going to happen. I tried not to sound hesitant as I asked him, “Are you hungry?” He said he was so I gave him the food and drove back around to the drive thru for a third time. By now I had to convince the guy at the window that I was giving the food away and not eating it. He laughed and swiped my debit card for a third time. I was sure I would get to eat some fries this time. I slowly drove around the corner after I got my bag of food and to my relief, the coast was clear. It was my turn to eat now. I drove to a space under the shade and looked around one more time before I began to eat, still looking around occasionally. That night when I got home, I checked my bank account online only to find that I was overdrawn by $38. There had not been any money in my account when I purchased the three meals. Sometimes things just work out better than they were supposed to and I remain grateful for that.


by Leave a comment

I Wanna Dance With Somebody

I picked up a family from Kingdom Hall. As soon as I pulled into the parking lot, I had a random thought, “I am so glad that I always answer the door when Jehovah’s Witnesses ring my doorbell really early in the morning.” I have to admit that I used to see them outside putting their visiting strategy together and I would hide inside my apartment so that I did not have to stand there, barely awake, and try to listen out of respect as they asked me questions. I finally began to think that it could not be easy to knock on so many closed doors so I decided to open my door when they rang my doorbell. The thought left my head as quickly as it had entered. Once I arrived, I watched as the young man struggled to put the car seat into the back seat of my car.  I joked, “You should get a degree for figuring those things out. “ We both laughed as he added, “…or at least a certificate.” Once everyone was inside my car, I turned and I smiled at the little girl sitting in the back seat; she just stared at me, without the slightest hint of a smile. I kept smiling, turned around and started to drive.  Her mother tried to explain that she needed a nap and was probably grumpy because it had been a long afternoon. All of a sudden, I heard a small voice from the back seat demand, “I want to hear some music!” Her mother hardly waited for the end of the young girl’s command before she said in a melodic tone that almost sounded like she was singing, “What did I say about how to ask for things nicely?” The little girl, as if she already knew she had used the wrong tone, quickly corrected herself and asked in a sweeter, softer tone, “I want to hear some music, please.” I reached for the radio and a slight panic smacked me as I realized that most of the songs on the radio are…well…shall we say…for grown-ups. I was truly under a great deal of self-imposed pressure at this moment. I chose a country station to which the little girl abruptly replied, “I don’t like that!” Her mother must have looked at her because she added in a low whisper, Thank you!” I then chose a jazz station and she quickly said with a tone that sounded like she had a pout on her face, “That’s scary!” We all chuckled softly as I turned to another station where the song’s intro was beautiful, but I knew it was getting ready to change into a “not suitable for children” song so I quickly changed it. The father said, “That sounded like a nice song!” to which I replied, “It starts out nice, but it does not stay that way” and I giggled under my breath. It became my personal mission to find some appropriate music for this adorable girl before we reached their destination. Finally, as we pulled up to their street, Whitney Houston’s voice came rushing out of my speakers like a melodic wind that filled the car “Oh, I wanna dance with somebody…”   When I stopped, I turned around, crossed my fingers, and asked, “Do you like this song?” Without the slightest smile, she nodded her head up and down as she began to kick the back of the front seat to keep time with the music (yeah, she was kicking my brand new seats). I ignored her kicks because I was so ecstatic that I had found a song that she liked. Then I started to sing to her. That is when I saw the little corners of her mouth make a slight turn upward almost as if it was against her will. “A smile, I finally got a tiny smile” I thought as I kept singing. By this time, she was nodding her head and kicking her feet in time with the music. I felt like clapping…wait, I did clap as I kept singing to her. Her father gently lifted her out of the car seat, but she looked back at me the whole time. My mission was complete and I knew she would not soon forget that ride.  Feeling overjoyed, I drove down the street rocking my head from side to side, bouncing in my seat and singing through a huge smile, “Oh, I wanna dance with somebody…with somebody who loves me….”


by 2 Comments

Shaken But Not Broken

She hardly looked at me as she jumped into my car, slammed the door and said sharply, Go straight!” It took her one breath to tell me that as she kept talking on her phone. When I looked into the rear view mirror at her face, I instantly felt a sense of sadness. She was a beautiful girl, probably in her first year at UCLA. She had on brightly colored shorts and a summertime top with wavy blonde hair tossed carelessly over her shoulders. The weather was warm with a cool breeze and the campus was alive with people hurrying to get to their destinations.

I did not listen to her conversation, but the person on the other end of her conversation could not have been talking much as she rattled off a series of fast sentences drenched in a restrained panic. She paused long enough to bark another order, “Turn left here!” I continued to drive and I felt sorry for this young stranger. I wanted to tell her that it was going to be alright. I kept silent. The desire to tell her grew stronger and I dismissed it because she was on the phone talking, non-stop. When she released the call, I looked in the mirror at her face which looked like she had received the worst news. Her blue eyes probably sparkled when she smiled, but at this moment, they were sad…worried, and she looked out the window not seeing all the beauty that the day was dangling in front of her. Her voice softened as she said, “I am sorry, take a right here, please.” She must have suddenly become aware of the tone she was using to speak to me.

At the stop sign, I called her by name, “Amanda…” She did not hear me, too deep in the thoughts that had blinded her to her actions. She was on emotional auto-pilot. Again, I softly called her name, “Amanda…” When she looked at me, I looked her straight in her eyes and said, “It is going to be alright.” Our glance was constant as if, over her first response to doubt me, she was trying to see if I was telling the truth. I was not prepared for what happened next because her eyes instantly welled up with tears that rolled down her cheeks like they had been waiting for permission to fall. I clumsily grabbed a box of Kleenex from under my center dash and handed the box to her. She pulled several tissues out of the box and lowered her face into the soft pillow she had created in her hands. As soon as she dried her face, more tears fell and she told me that all of her classes had been dropped and she was devastated. It was her first year at UCLA and now she had to maneuver through life’s obstacles without the immediate cloak of directional protection from her mom and dad who usually stepped in to smooth things out for her.

She was going to the class to plead with the instructor to add her into the class. I told her that it was all going to work out for her, but that she had to believe that. I told her she was given this obstacle to make her stronger, even if it seemed unfair. “You will understand this challenge later, but for now. Go to the class and calmly talk to the professor. I graduated from here in 2012 and I can tell you that instructors add you when they say they are not adding anymore students and they make a way for you when you are sure they will not, but you have to ask them. If you have the time, splash some cold water on your face before you go to class. You are going to be fine, Amanda. Try not to worry too much.” She smiled at me and it was like the sun pushed past stormy clouds to change the look of the day. Her face changed, “Thank you so much, Teresa, you can just let me out at the corner,” she said in a tone that suggested she thought she had taken too much of my time. I smiled and took her right up to the building’s entrance. She thanked me again through a vulnerable smile as she hopped out of my car and ran up the stairs. I hope she remembers what I told her. She is going to be alright.


by Leave a comment

One Happy Meal

A few days ago, I was driving home. It was dark and I decided to go to McDonald to get a happy meal (I keep the toys for the kids’ baskets that I make at Christmas). As I drove up, there was a choice of two lanes to drive through. I squinted at the menu and in the first lane there was a woman huddled under the sign clutching her belongings close to her chest. I decided to go to the other ordering station, but while I sat there, I started to feel ashamed. What was wrong with me? I had intentionally avoided someone who was in need. I lost my appetite, but I went through the drive-thru and ordered a happy meal anyway. I circled back around to see if she was still there and she was gone. I shook my head and just sat there. How could I have been so selfish? I was disappointed in myself and then I stopped thinking about myself and did what I do best…find people. I looked over to my left and saw the shadow of a small woman walking slowly through the parking lot with her head held down like she was watching her feet. I secretly prayed this was her. I drove slowly up to her, rolled down my window and asked her if she was hungry. She turned and said she was so I gave her the food. She thanked me for the food and immediately went over and squatted beneath a nearby tree. She looked down, placed her belongings closely beside her and began eating slowly as she looked around in the darkness. You could barely see her squatting there in the shadow of the tree that kept the luminosity of the street light from giving her away. I learned a valuable lesson from that encounter. Sometimes, it does not matter if you hesitate to do something right as long as you do it.


by Leave a comment

AAA Discusssion

Sitting in AAA:
Me: “I am an Uber driver so I can only wait until 5:00.”
Man: “Aren’t you afraid of picking up someone strange?”
Me: “No. Before I go out, I pray for me, my passengers, my car, our journey, the other drivers and passengers, people I know and people I don’t know.”
Man: “What about the drivers who commit those crimes?”
Me: “They probably don’t pray before they go out.”

What was priceless was the smile on the face of another man nearby who overheard what I said.

‪#‎noweapon‬


by 1 Comment

A Young Man’s Jacket

I went to Oki’s Dog to get some fries because that was all I could afford. While standing inside, I could see a young man outside putting on his jacket in the rain. The young lady behind the counter said, “That man is really nice!” I was curious so I said, “What did he do?” She then smiled and said, “He gave his jacket to the guy standing in the rain.” Just as I started to smile, the young man ordered food for the man to whom he had given his coat. I thought to myself, this is the kind of person I want in my life, someone who is compassionate and in touch with humanity. I walked around to the outside counter and as I got to where he was, he had walked away. I stood there silent and disappointed when suddenly he turned around and smiled at me. I said, “I wished you back to me.” He walked over and I said. “You did a beautiful thing just now and I would be honored to be your friend. Here is my card so we can keep in touch.” He told me that he saw that the man was cold and looked hungry so he gave him his jacket and bought him some food. The interesting thing is, the man to whom he had lent his jacket, protested the offer of food, but the young man insisted and bought him a special. I smiled and told him that I am just like him. Remember, it doesn’t take much to be a blessing to someone. When he sends me a friend request, that will be my blessing.


by Leave a comment

A Song for Twenty Strangers

I was standing in line chatting with the customers and humming along with Muzak. When I got up to the window, I heard a very tall and commanding man behind me say, “I thought I heard someone singing.” I turned to him and said with a big smile, “I was humming. You could hear me?” He shook his head in acknowledgement and asked me if I could sing as good as Howard Hewett, who was singing, “This Ring” over the sound system. I smiled at him and said, “Oh, I can sing!” He then said, if you can sing better than Howard, I will give you $20 (wait for it…). The teller was busy typing into the computer so I had time to have the conversation. The man then started to talk about the best fried chicken was…I interrupted and said, “Don’t try to change the subject, I was getting ready to sing.” The people in line laughed and waited for me to begin. I started to sing, “Who’s Loving You,” as I slowly walked toward him and reached for the $20 that he had peeled from a large wad of cash. The people in line were smiling and the tellers were smiling and the manager walked out to listen. The man gave me the $20 after I successfully hit the high note at the end of the song and said, “I bet she didn’t know that she would be getting this $20 at the credit union today.” To which I replied, “No, I didn’t, but I did know that I would receive a blessing today because God is good!”. Everyone looked happy even the people who were standing in line with serious faces before I sang. I walked out waving and said, “I’ll be here all week!” I could hear people laughing as I walked out. As I drove off, a lady was walking to her car and she gave me this huge smile and I smiled back. I have been a member of this credit union since 1981 and this is the first time I have sung in their lobby. Who knows, it might not be the last.


by Leave a comment

An Obedient Heart

I had decided to go to the 6:00 a.m. service at Faithful Central Bible Church today, but when I woke up at 5:00 a.m., it was raining, cold and dark and I was still tired so I set my alarm clock for a later time so I could go to the 10:00 a.m. service. On my way to the church, I saw a guy running down La Brea Avenue with his hand in the air as if he was trying to hail a taxi. It was not a taxi, but the bus which moved away from him to the middle lane and kept on moving down the street. I felt that I should give him a ride and I was not worried about being late for church because of it. I turned around and pulled up on his side of the street. I asked him if he was trying to catch the bus and he said, “Yes.” I asked him if I could take him to his destination. He saw the Uber sticker in my window and said, “Are you Uber?” I told him that I was not working and could give him a ride without charging him. He smiled and got into my car. He asked me where I was going and I told him, “I am going to Faithful Central.” I then asked him where he was going and he replied, “The same place.” We both laughed and rode on down the street, talking and laughing. When we arrived, he pulled out $10 and before he could hand it to me, I said, “I can’t take that, just do something nice for someone else, that is how I do it.” He asked, “Is that what you want me to do?” and I said, “Yes, that is how I do it.” He said, “OK and I want you to take this money. That’s how I do it.” I chuckled and accepted his money. We were walking through the parking lot to the church when he stopped and said, “Oh no, I think I left my phone in your car and then he apologized profusely while we were walking back to the car. I kept telling him not to worry because I needed the exercise. We both laughed. He got his phone and we walked back and entered the church with the choir and congregation singing. As I went to my seat, I was grateful that I was in the right place at the right time. May that continue to happen. As for the $10, I am going to get ten single dollar bills and keep them in the door pocket so that when I drive pass people on the street who are asking for money, I don’t have to fumble around in my bag and miss the opportunity to give them their dollar.