Lowes, Generators, and Heroes: We Are The World Blogpost #WATWB September 29, 2017
Aloha nui loa from Hawai’i, worldwide friends. Like you, I believe that when we let our love lights shine, we banish the tortuous shadows of hate and negativity. In this spirit, I offer you links to a news article, which shone a light in the darkness for me. Here’s hoping it will banish some of the darkness for you as well.
In circumstances of extreme stress, we hear moving examples of people going out of their way to help others. On September 8th, such an example was captured in a news story about a customer in Lowes. Compassionate customer Ramon Santiago gave the store’s last generator, the one he’d just purchased, to the woman standing in line behind him, weeping. That woman, Pam Brekke, was crying because her father would be without oxygen if she couldn’t buy a generator and hurricane Irma shut down the power.
For me, Santiago’s action personified caring and unselfish giving to a stranger who was also trying to unselfishly help another person. For the full story, click on this link:
Here’s a compressed version of the article:
A Lowe’s Home Improvement store in Orlando received a surprise shipment of 216 generators at about 7 a.m. on Thursday September 7. All units were sold within two hours.
Pam Brekke was next in line to purchase a generator when she watched employees load the final unit onto a cart for the customer who was standing in front of her in line. She broke down.
“My father’s on oxygen, and I’m worried about this storm,” she sobbed, wiping tears from her eyes.
Ramon Santiago turned to Brekke and insisted she take the generator.
Brekke embraced Santiago and the two parted ways.
“I’m very overwhelmed by that man,” Brekke told ABC News. “That gentleman was a great gentleman right there. God will bless that man.”
The touching moment between two strangers was captured on video. When Ramon hugged Pam and told her everything was going to be fine, she’s not the only one who wept.
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Others who witnessed this act of extreme kindness were deeply touched, including the manager of Lowes. Guess what she did on September 11? Here’s the link:
Here’s a summary of the article:
Last week, we shared a story about a Florida woman who tearfully embraced a complete stranger who’d given her the last generator in the mad rush before Hurricane Irma. After Brekke embraced Santiago, the two parted ways.
The story captured the hearts of many.
When a new generator became available, Lowe’s manager Melissa Rodriguez immediately thought of Santiago. On Friday, Santiago returned to Lowe’s to get his own generator for free from the store.
“I wanted to make sure he received it because he definitely deserved it,” manager Melissa Rodriguez told WFTV. “He’s the hero of the day.”
Good on you, Melissa. Muchas gracias, Ramon. It’s lovely to see a hero recognized and rewarded.
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While I’m here, allow me to honor another hero, Vic Lazzarini. Back in ’85, this courageous firefighter lost his life protecting others. Vic is the protagonist in my memoir, Angel Hero, Murder in Hawai’i, A True Story. If you’d like to listen to a snippet of the song I wrote about him, also titled Angel Hero, here’s a link to my publisher’s book trailer: http://www.kwillbooks.com/lizbeth-hartz/
It’s never a bad idea to help someone else. At least that woman had the reassurance that she was able to do everything in her power to provide for her father. And nice to see that Ramon’s compassion was rewarded as well, though I’m sure he didn’t expect it.
I agree, Lynda, that helping another can never be bad. Ramon helped Pam, Pam helped her Dad, Lowes helped Ramon — what a beautiful cycle. Thanks for reading and posting.
What a beautiful and generous action by Ramon. How nice that Lowes made sure that he later got a generator as well. Thank you for sharing this Lizbeth.
I agree, Emily. I loved Ramon telling Pam that “everything was going to be alright” and Pam calling Ramon “a beautiful man.” What a soulful lady, that manager at Lowes! You’re welcome, and thanks for sharing your heartwarming post as well.
A touching story of generosity. Thankyou for sharing.
You’re welcome, Damyanti, and thanks for checking out my blog post. Yes, it’s heartwarming to see how wonderfully generous people are during disasters.
Incredible and a heart-warming story of an act of kindness towards a stranger. Thanks for sharing 🙂
Hi Shilpa,
Happy to share and thanks for your kind words. I also read the story you posted about the Bhubaneswar Auto Driver and was very moved by his actions. (I couldn’t find anywhere to post on your site, however.) Now there’s a man who really learned from his mistake, and what a giving man he is. I am inspired by him, and by you, for sharing this heartwarming story.
Tearing up, what a wonderful post. Ramon showed such compassion and generosity. Often during a crisis, we are reminded what is really important in life. Thank you so much for sharing this and for being part of #WATWB!
Belinda, thank you for your sweet comment. I agree, crisis can connect us to what’s most important in life – giving, and each other. And I simply LOVE your video post about making yarn wigs for girls with cancer. I love it so much I’ll post the link to your site here: The Magic Yarn Project GoFundMe page: https://medium.com/giving-matters-notes-from-gofundme/the-magic-yarn-project-4e6c6ce688fe, and go fund it myself!
Ah this is true kindness – such an amazing story I’ll never forget it. May we learn that others’ need are sometimes greater than our own …
Thank you, Susan Scott. Yes, that’s it, isn’t it? Learning that others’ needs can be greater than our own. By the way, I loved your Bread for Blisters story. IMHO, there is no higher love than helping a child. Thanks for sharing.
After watching the videos of these stories, it is obvious this gentleman is a shining example of how we should act towards one another. As he said not only in times of trouble but always. Good on the reporter for sharing this positive news with others and echoing Ramon’s words. Thanks for sharing and for being a part of #WATWB
Hi Lynn,
Thanks for taking the time to read and comment, and also for being part of #WATWB. I agree, Ramon is a shining example of a compassionate person, we need more like him. He gives me a goal to shoot for, to be so unselfishly giving. BTW, I enjoyed checking out your books on your website at cswcllc.weebly.com. (I especially need info on how to avoid being a harried home maker!