Hetal - She/her/hers

Montessorian. Swimmer. Peacemaker. Educator.

[Mr PitBull Stories @MrPitbull07]

"My name's Raymond. I'm 73. I work the parking lot at St. Joseph's Hospital. Minimum wage, orange vest, a whistle I barely use. Most people don't even look at me. I'm just the old man waving cars into spaces.
But I see everything.

Like the black sedan that circled the lot every morning at 6 a.m. for three weeks. Young man driving, grandmother in the passenger seat. Chemotherapy, I figured. He'd drop her at the entrance, then spend 20 minutes hunting for parking, missing her appointments.

One morning, I stopped him. "What time tomorrow?"
"6:15," he said, confused.
"Space A-7 will be empty. I'll save it."
He blinked. "You... you can do that?"
"I can now," I said.

Next morning, I stood in A-7, holding my ground as cars circled angrily. When his sedan pulled up, I moved. He rolled down his window, speechless. "Why?"
"Because she needs you in there with her," I said. "Not out here stressing."
He cried. Right there in the parking lot.

Word spread quietly. A father with a sick baby asked if I could help. A woman visiting her dying husband. I started arriving at 5 a.m., notebook in hand, tracking who needed what. Saved spots became sacred. People stopped honking. They waited. Because they knew someone else was fighting something bigger than traffic.
But here's what changed everything, A businessman in a Mercedes screamed at me one morning. "I'm not sick! I need that spot for a meeting!"

"Then walk," I said calmly. "That space is for someone whose hands are shaking too hard to grip a steering wheel."

He sped off, furious. But a woman behind him got out of her car and hugged me. "My son has leukemia," she sobbed. "Thank you for seeing us."

The hospital tried to stop me. "Liability issues," they said. But then families started writing letters. Dozens. "Raymond made the worst days bearable." "He gave us one less thing to break over."

Last month, they made it official. "Reserved Parking for Families in Crisis." Ten spots, marked with blue signs. And they asked me to manage it.

But the best part? A man I'd helped two years ago, his mother survived, came back. He's a carpenter. Built a small wooden box, mounted it by the reserved spaces. Inside? Prayer cards, tissues, breath mints, and a note,

"Take what you need. You're not alone. -Raymond & Friends"
People leave things now. Granola bars. Phone chargers. Yesterday, someone left a hand-knitted blanket.
I'm 73. I direct traffic in a hospital parking lot. But I've learned this: Healing doesn't just happen in operating rooms. Sometimes it starts in a parking space. When someone says, "I see your crisis. Let me carry this one small piece."

So pay attention. At the grocery checkout, the coffee line, wherever you are. Someone's drowning in the little things while fighting the big ones.

Hold a door. Save a spot. Carry the weight no one else sees.
It's not glamorous. But it's everything."

Let this story reach more hearts....

Credit: Mary Nelson

[Hetal - She/her/hers @kulturalguide]

@PANYNJ_LT Which lanes are open?

[Hetal - She/her/hers @kulturalguide]

@AnetaDuchnowska @elonmusk Please don’t disrespect the kindergartners.

[American Montessori Society @amshq]

Montessori students excel in language, math, and academics, outperforming peers in traditional schools. https://t.co/Rq1sQCX3pQ via @K12DiveNews

[Joe Biden @JoeBiden]

It’s time.

[Buitengebieden @buitengebieden]

Twitter needs this.. 😊

[Hetal - She/her/hers @kulturalguide]

Some employers are very compassionate, empathetic and understanding. Some, not so much.

[Katie Coleman @kaydaustin]

Last year, I was offered a job even after disclosing a stage IV cancer diagnosis. Highlighting the very best of workplace acceptance and culture.

But today, my husband unexpectedly had a job offer rescinded after letting the company know he may need 2 days off, a month after starting to help me recover from a possible minor surgery.

We’re both software engineers and both companies are in the healthcare space. The response he received highlights the discrimination that not only many patients face but also their caregivers.

I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t disheartened and frustrated by their response. When faced with the choice, be company A not company B.

We’ve faced bigger hurdles and come out on top, so on we go.

In other news, if anyone is looking to hire a talented software engineer w/experience in healthcare. I know a guy 😉

Here’s a photo of us on my birthday this year. We celebrated with a hackathon building tools/apps for cancer patients. Yes, that was my actual birthday request. Things get real nerdy around here.

[Hetal - She/her/hers @kulturalguide]

Too many feelings about this!!

[News12NJ @News12NJ]

MONMOUTH UNIVERSITY UPDATE: A shelter-in-place for all students and faculty has been lifted. There was no evidence of shots fired, Monmouth University said in a tweet. https://t.co/AvyTB8MTY5

[American Montessori Society @amshq]

"The heartbeat of racism is denial...the only way to undo racism is to consistently identify and describe it–and it dismantle it." @DrIbram spoke powerfully today at #TheMontessoriEvent.

[American Montessori Society @amshq]

"If you want to build empathy into your culture, make it loud. Brag about other people's empathy. Elevate acts of kindness in your conversation." Keynote speaker, @zakijam offers us an inspiring call to action. #TheMontessoriEvent

[Hetal - She/her/hers @kulturalguide]

@lflorshaw Interested please @lflorshaw

[Hetal - She/her/hers @kulturalguide]

When you ask me what I do? Teach young humans empathy, kindness and compassion for others. That’s all the legacy I wish for my legacy to remember about me.

[The New York Times @nytimes]

This is the moment the House gave final approval to landmark legislation to mandate federal recognition for same-sex marriages, sending the bill to President Biden. “The motion is adopted,” Speaker Nancy Pelosi said announcing its passage. https://t.co/duY7gI2ClY

[Hetal - She/her/hers @kulturalguide]

@lflorshaw @SavannahClawson Oh gosh!! Seriously!? I can’t even imagine how that must feel.

[CNN @CNN]

The late Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg will be honored with a new US postage stamp due out next year. https://t.co/D9mX6asSK9

[CNN @CNN]

A Miss England finalist has become the first ever beauty queen to compete without wearing any makeup in the pageant's nearly century-long history https://t.co/8hUCmcQWer

[Hetal - She/her/hers @kulturalguide]

🇮🇳

[Sachin Tendulkar @sachin_rt]

𝐃𝐢𝐥 𝐌𝐞𝐢𝐧 𝐁𝐡𝐢 𝐓𝐢𝐫𝐚𝐧𝐠𝐚 𝐆𝐡𝐚𝐫 𝐏𝐚𝐫 𝐁𝐡𝐢 𝐓𝐢𝐫𝐚𝐧𝐠𝐚! 🇮🇳

#AzadiKaAmritMahotsav #HarGharTiranga

[Rising Tide Montessori @Montessori_Tide]

“The satisfaction which they find in their work has given them a grace and ease like that which comes from music.” Maria Montessori

#Montessori #Education #Teaching #MondayMotivation

[Hetal - She/her/hers @kulturalguide]

If you know any human who will be 18 by then, please share this with them.

[Hetal - She/her/hers @kulturalguide]

So true @DrSusanZoll Definitely agree that the Montesssori educator should have 3 year work cycle like the young humans. #Montessori = 3 yrs with same teacher (0-3, 3-6, 6-9, 9-12)

[Dr. Susan Zoll @DrSusanZoll]

“Looping” (having the same teacher for a 2nd year) = positive effect on learning, attendance. Studies indicate an additional year may have stronger outcomes.

#Montessori = 3 yrs with same teacher (0-3, 3-6, 6-9, 9-12) https://t.co/gC7Be2wT5A