๐ŸŒŸ๐Ÿ’ž The Night Maddie Taught Me About Grace ๐Ÿ’ž๐ŸŒŸ

Central City homicide victim survived 3 other shootings, mother says | Crime/Police | nola.com

This is Maddie. Life has been unbearably hard for her โ€” walking causes her constant pain, and every evening she faces the cold streets with no roof to call her own. ๐Ÿ’” That night, as I saw her shivering, I offered her a scarf, a hat, and a pair of gloves. She held them tightly against her chest, as though they were priceless treasures, and kept thanking me again and again. Her gratitude was so pure it pierced my heart. Later, I returned with pizza, cookies, crackers, and water โ€” simple things, yet to her, they felt like a feast. ๐Ÿ•๐Ÿฅค

Then, in a trembling voice, Maddie asked if she could read me her daily scripture. ๐Ÿ“–๐Ÿ™ She pulled out a worn piece of paper and began, but her voice shook, and soon tears blurred her words. Her faith was strong, but her heart was breaking. Gently, I took over, reading aloud while she wept beside me. We finished it together โ€” each word echoing with both pain and hope.

When the final verse was spoken, Maddie looked at me through her tears and whispered: โ€œIโ€™m going to remember this moment forever.โ€ ๐ŸŒนโœจ

Central City homicide victim survived 3 other shootings, mother says |  Crime/Police | nola.com

And so will I. That night, Maddie taught me that kindness isnโ€™t about the size of the gift, but the depth of love behind it. Sometimes the smallest acts โ€” a meal, a scarf, a shared scripture โ€” can become lifelines of hope, reminders that even in the darkest nights, no one is truly alone. ๐Ÿ’•๐ŸŒˆ