A Neighbor’s Unexpected Request Led to a Lesson in Kindness

Over the following months, I watched Miss Darlene work outside in the summer heat, pulling weeds, watering plants, and greeting the lawn service crew that came every two weeks. Eventually, after a powerful hurricane struck our neighborhood, the situation became impossible to ignore.

The storm devastated Miss Darlene’s yard, knocking down trees and damaging her fence, while Gavin’s property remained pristine thanks to a professional landscaping crew that arrived immediately after the storm. When I asked the crew if they could help Miss Darlene too, they told me they were instructed to work only on Gavin’s property. That afternoon, neighbors came together to clear debris from her yard.

During the cleanup, Miss Darlene quietly admitted she had been paying for Gavin’s lawn service out of her own limited income because she had given her word to help.

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