Random acts of kindness make me so proud of my community

Published 4:33 pm Thursday, May 20, 2021

As life-changing speaker Steve Maraboli has said, “A kind gesture can reach a wound that only compassion can heal.”                                                     I recently came across a post on Facebook thanking what the person referred to as the “grass cutting bandits.” The post informed social media that someone in Luverne had mowed their lawn, not once but twice. No one seems to know the individual or individual’s identity who has performed this act of kindness. I immediately thought, what a great story this would make, and I set out to get all the details.                    Sometimes, searching for the truth, you find out more than you ever bargained for, and my search for answers led to just that. I discovered the acts of kindness were performed for Beth Rogers and her husband, Randy Rogers. I have written about the couple before. The Rogers are the owners of Living Water Coffee House located on Forest Avenue in Luverne.                                                                                                                                          Randy was diagnosed with cancer back in 2019. Surgery was performed to remove cancer from his tongue and lymph nodes. After chemotherapy and radiation, the doctors were hopeful that the cancer was gone for good.                                                                                                          Unfortunately, more spots kept coming back, and the couple tried more treatments including more chemotherapy. Nothing has worked. Randy was transferred to the University of Alabama at Birmingham to participate in clinical trials. So far, the treatments have been unable to eliminate cancer.

The couple has been exhausted from traveling for treatments and Randy from the chemo. The couple reached out to their son, who lives out of town, and he offered to find someone to care for the lawn. Before he had a chance, someone stepped up and mowed the yard for the family.

“We have no idea who it is if it was the same folks both times or not,” Beth said. “It has blessed us more than we can say. I just pray that whoever is doing it gets blessed more than they can even imagine.”

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The way people in our community step up to help others, not even wanting the credit, gives me so much pride for my community. The Rogers’ story is just one of many that have touched my heart and made our community, unlike many others. The people that surround me every day are the reason I am proud to call Crenshaw County my home.

Author Mandy Hale once said, “There is nothing more beautiful than someone who goes out of their way to make life beautiful for others.”