Have you ever seen the
movie, The Green Mile? I saw it the other night and found it to be
really powerful and very compassionate. It takes place in the 30’s
and Green Mile is a term referring to death row. The movie takes
place at the Cold Mountain Penitentiary in Louisiana. The prisoners
who are to be executed are held there until the time that they
slowly take the long walk down the green floor to the electric
chair. A new inmate, John Coffey (played by Michael Clarke Duncan),
is brought in for the murder of two young girls. John is innocent of
the crime yet there is little chance that anyone would believe him.
His six-foot-five giant presence towers way above everyone else. He
is a gentle, tender-hearted man. They found him on the bank of the
river, holding the dead girls and crying. He saw the whole murder
scene in his mind, who committed the horrific crime and how they did
it. Because he was at the scene, crying and holding the little
girls, he was instantly judged guilty, convicted of the crime and
taken to prison.
John had the gift of psychic vision
and, along with this, he could also feel the emotions of others. He
felt the little girls’ pain.
John was also able to pass on healing
through his touch. While in prison he sensed a severe illness with
the warden, Paul Edgecomb (played by Tom Hanks). With a touch, he
took on the warden’s pain and healed him. He could do this with
anybody.
John’s eyes would tear up as he spoke
of how bad things happened in the world. He could feel the heaviness
and the pain of it all. Your heart went out to John, for the
compassion and unconditional love he had for others.
If I’m laden at all
I’m laden with sadness
That everyone’s heart
Isn’t filled with the gladness
Of love for one another
The next day after watching this
movie, my twin sister Gloria called to see if I wanted to go to the
store. I told her we would have to stop for gas before we ventured
out because my tank was almost empty.
I picked her up. We had gone two
blocks and I stopped at a light. At that moment, my car quit. This
had never happened to me. I was out of gas. Now what? I called Cindy
and she came right over to help and drove me to the nearest gas
station. I bought a gas can and filled it. We drove back to my car
and saw there was a man there wanting to help me. He had pulled his
van over to the side of the road, narrowly missing getting struck by
another car. He ran over and asked if he could help. He was very
tall, like John, the gentle giant in the movie. He even looked a
little like him. He was so kind to me. He put the gas in my tank and
told me to start the motor. I did… nothing happened. He then told me
to put the car in neutral. As soon as the light turned green he
would get me across the street to level ground to help it start. I
wondered how he would be able to run to his van and give me a push
in time before the light turned green again. When the light turned
green, I put it in neutral. In the rear view mirror, I saw this
strong, tall man pushing my car through four lanes of traffic all by
himself. I was stunned. A perfect stranger just wanting to help. How
kind, I thought. When we got across the street, he pushed even
further to make sure it would start. I tried the engine and it
started up right away. I thanked him. He told me if it was his
sister, aunt, mother or girlfriend, he would have done the same
thing for them. His eyes reflected genuine caring for another in
need. I asked what his name was and he told me it was Ray. I
repeated, Ray? I then got out of the car and told him he was my “Ray
of Light.” He reminded me so much of John from the movie. I was
touched by this stranger’s kindness toward me. I gave him a warm hug
and thanked him again. He truly was a godsend.
How many of us would go that extra
mile to help another in distress, even to open a door for another.
Just to have the love and compassion for our fellow human beings.
Whenever I’ve seen The Green Mile since, I think of the gentle giant
who came to my rescue one Sunday afternoon. He was my Ray of Light.
How often are we a ray of light to
others with our genuine compassion and caring? Why did this man just
happen to be there and come into my life?
People come into your life for a
reason, a season or a lifetime. When you know which one it is, you
will know what to do for that person. When someone is in your life
for a REASON, it is usually to meet a need you have expressed. They
have come to assist you through a difficulty, to provide you with
guidance and support, to aid you physically, emotionally or
spiritually. They may seem like a godsend and they are. They are
there for the reason you need them to be. What we must realize is
that our need has been met, our desire fulfilled, their work is
done. The prayer you sent up has been answered.
It’s a long, long
road
From which there is no return
While we’re on the way to there
Why not share
And the load
doesn’t weigh me down at all
He ain’t heavy he’s my brother
