When My Heart Skipped A Beat

Hanley McBride works an overnight stocking position at Home Depot. He was working a 2nd job at Five Below as a cashier, but he quit because he's caring for his sick, elderly next door neighbor, Mr. Vince. Mr. Vince has no family or friends to come & visit him or care for him. Neither Hanley nor Mr. Vince have ever been married or had any children. 

Mr. Vince has been lonely with no one to ever really think twice about him, so he marvelled when Hanley hadn't heard from him in a week & then fought tooth & nail to find out what hospital he was in. Mr. Vince had surgery on his back. The surgeons thought he was going to be paralyzed for the rest of his life, but thank God that he ended up not being paralyzed after the surgery. Mr. Vince's heart skipped a beat when he saw Hanley coming to visit him. Hanley saved Mr. Vince from having to go into hospice or a nursing home. Mr. Vince couldn't believe it. 

Hanley was shocked that nobody checked on Mr. Vince, so he put up flyers in the neighborhood to tell people to check up on their neighbors, especially the ones who have nobody. Neighbors started treating each other like family & having weekly neighborhood cookouts, sponsored by a few churches in the neighborhood that got together. They were quoting scriptures, such as, Matthew 22:37-39 & James 5:14. 

Matthew 22:37-39
King James Version
37 Jesus said unto him, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind.

38 This is the first and great commandment.

39 And the second is like unto it, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself.



James 5:14-16
Is any sick among you? let him call for the elders of the church; and let them pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord: and the prayer of faith shall save the sick, and the Lord shall raise him up; and if he have committed sins, they shall be forgiven him. Confess your faults one to another, and pray one for another, that ye may be healed. The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much.


KJV: King James Version



Mr. Vince admitted to being an atheist, but he began to believe that God is real. Hanley was formerly agnostic. Now, they both have become believers in Jesus Christ. 

Hanley is Mr. Vince's new caregiver, & also, some of the other neighbors looked out for Mr. Vince. Mr. Vince considers his neighbors as his new family in Christ. 

THE END