Friday, March 28, 2014

A Simple Act Of Kindness


Good morning friends. It is a dark and dreary day here in Maryland with lots of rain in the forecast for the entire weekend. Actually we have a lot of rain coming our way for the next 10 days...April Showers bring May flowers. Isn't that wh...at they say? At least the temperatures are finally climbing up to where they need to be for this time of year. Anything is better than snow!

My Dad told me a wonderful story this morning that really touched my heart and reinforced the fact that there are some good people in this world. I thought I would share it with you in hopes that you will get that same overall warm feeling it gave me.

My Dad is very much alone now that my Mom moved to Heaven a few years ago. They used to do everything together and it was a very hard adjustment for him to make. But he is an incredible man who found ways to move forward and to be at peace with his life after she left. One of the things he likes to do is to go to Costco and buy his favorite lunch to go and then park over under some shade trees, eat his lunch and watch planes fly over as they are landing at Martins Air Force Base. After he has his lunch, he takes out his bible and sits quietly, reading the scripture and saying his daily prayers. My Dad just enjoys life and is a devout Christian who loves God more than anyone I have ever met in my lifetime.

The other day, we had a cold Spring day with winds gusting up to 40 miles an hour. That doesn't interfere with my Dad's routine. There he was sitting in his new pickup truck, enjoying his lunch and reading his bible. All of a sudden he sees a car coming right at him at full speed. Before he could do anything the car took a sharp turn and pulled in right next to him slamming on his breaks. My Dad said there was a loud sharp crashing BOOM! He then saw the driver unbuckle his seat belt and slowly get out of his vehicle.

My Dad got out of his truck and went over to see a shopping cart laying on it's side with all its contents strewn over the parking lot and a young man in his early twenties examining a big ugly dent on the drivers door. The young man stood up and shook my Dad's hand and said, "I hope I didn't scare you too much sir."

My Dad was puzzled and asked what had just happened. The young man said, "I had just come out of the store and got in my car and started it. Someone had left their cart to go get their car and a huge gust of wind got behind it. Next thing I saw was a run-a-way cart plowing straight ahead and aiming right for your new pickup truck. You were totally unaware of what was about to happen. So I stepped on the gas, knowing if I timed it just right, I could get between that speeding cart and your new truck and take the full blunt force of the shopping cart hitting my vehicle first."

My Dad just stood there in total amazement and asked, "Why would you do that? Why would you damage your own vehicle to save mine?"

The young man responded, "I don't know why. It was just something that happened so quickly and I didn't have much time to think about it. I just knew you were sitting there so peacefully and would have been startled and frightened because you had no idea it was coming right at you. I wanted to do the right thing and I'm so happy that I was at the right place at the right time."

My Dad, shook this young man's hand and thanked him. He offered to pay for the damage to his car and buy him some lunch. The young man smiled and shook his head.

"Sir, that's not necessary. You can't imagine how good I feel right now and I can't wait to go tell my Mom what I just did. She will be so proud that I found an opportunity today to "pay it forward....something she has instilled in all us kids." He smiled and tipped his baseball cap, and got back into this car and drove away.

This story touched me. Not a big life rescue story Not a huge heroic story. But a pay it forward story that brought tears to my eyes. This young man is a true hero in my eyes and especially in my dads eyes. It doesn't always take some heroic act. Sometimes a simple act of kindness says it all. I always say, "While the world outside my window goes insane, there's always someone who reminds me, that a few good things remain.

Have a good day my friends. Pay it forward today. Stay warm. Stay safe and stay tuned for some good recipes coming your way.
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