FORT LAUDERDALE – A few days ago, I gained a valuable lesson about the beauty of ridesharing. While most drivers are in it just for the money and may not see beyond the economics of it all, it is really more than just making money — it is about helping people.

One of my very first riders on Lyft two months ago was a wonderful lady named *Stacy. She requested a ride at a local Eye Doctor’s Office and she was facing a life-threatening emergency. I really needed to get her to the nearest hospital to address her special medical emergency which was located in downtown Miami STAT and I became overcome with grief as she spoke to friends on the phone about her medical emergency.  To complicate the matter, it was a Lyftline (pool) and the other passenger was becoming anxious about traffic and making his appointments. The situation required a lot of tenacity and fortitude to process everything that was going on and successfully complete the ride.

Well, they say, “The Lord works in mysterious ways”….Stacy requested me once a few days ago and while we were in transit to her destination at 70th Street and Collins avenue on Miami Beach, I overheard her talking on the phone about her ordeal with friends and I learned that her surgery went really well and everything came out just fine. Stacy didn’t recognize me at first but I reached out to her at the end of the ride to let her know I was the Lyft driver that took her to emergency room in downtown Miami and that I was praying for her that day. I apologized at first because I thought I was being inappropriate but she was very happy to see me and she thanked me for praying for her on that terrible day. In fact, she was really happy to see me and she put her friend on the line on hold to thank me very graciously for remembering her and keeping her in my prayers.

Ridesharing is a great way to make a little extra cash on the weekends but look beyond the economics of it all and see the connection possibilities.

You are helping people overcome challenges, seen and unseen. This experience taught me to remember that we are all in this together and see lessons along the way…on this journey called Life.

*using an alias for passenger name to protect and respect his or her privacy.