I was maneuvering my rig through the city streets of Indy one cloudy afternoon, when the skies went dark and the rain began pouring in buckets.   Off to the side of the road, I saw an elderly lady struggling with her bags and obviously fussing about her hair (which seemed to be recently "done").  I pulled my rig over as much as I could, and rolled down the passenger side.  I offered her either a ride or shelter from the raging rain.  She politely declined, but I could tell she was speculating on the safety of getting into a big rig with an unknown man.  I tried to ease her mind by telling her of my family and grandmother who I would not want walking about in such a storm.  To my surprise, this did soften her demeanor and she accepted my offer.  While driving her toward her home, she told me of her life.  How she grew up there in Indy and had lost both parents during the Korean war.   She went on to tell me of her husband and their 4 children and 8 grandchildren.  She was very proud.  I asked her if she worked, and she said yes!  I worked hard everyday to provide a stable environment for my kids and took care of my husband's every need.    I assured her that I, too, thought that a woman who worked in the home had one of the hardest jobs imaginable.  Although, I had often been hard on my own wife....assuming her life was so much easier than mine.  I dropped her off and thanked her for sharing her stories with me, as it can often get lonely riding alone.  She smiled and looked up at me, and said "No, it is I that should thank YOU".  She told me her husband had recently passed away and she was beside herself with sadness.  She wasn't as sharp as she used to be and would never have gone out shopping knowing it was going to rain.  But, it was he who had always checked the forecast and walked her to the store.  She said I was her angel that day...allowing her to share her life.  This helped her to realize that she had lived a good one, and that all good things must come to an end.  That night, I went home and hugged my wife and kids, realizing that one day we too would be old and gray.  One day, we would be looking back over our lives, and I wanted my wife to know that I appreciated all she did.  Life is short, but it can be very fulfilling.  I learned my lesson from a little old lady named Lily from Indy.