Back Up and Rewind

~ The highest wisdom is loving kindness. ~Talmud
A long day yesterday, of what seemed like a whirl wind at times at the VA clinic with my daddy, finally turned out to be a quiet evening at the grill for some burgers and grilled potatoes. …..Or so it seemed like it was going to be quiet. Stop.…wait….back up to the clinic….Vets are some of the nicest people you can meet, it’s like they are all in one big boat. Everyone is friendly and kind, even the staff at the clinic…they were ALL nice, patience and all smiley every time you talked to them. Not entirely true, we did find one clerk that looked rather grumpy, like maybe he’d sleep wrong or something...shhhhh…it was a man, . There were enough nice ones that they cancel him out! Now, on with the story…No matter the problem the veteran has, he seems to make the most of it; he just wants his fair shake. To my daddy, they said, "OK Mr. M. we are going to fix you right up with your request, based on the eval, for that electric scooter."

He can’t even walk around in Wal-Mart without giving out of breathe, long story short! "

…and we need to get you some hearing aids too." they said.

"What?" says my daddy cupping his ear….

"WE-NEED-TO-GET-YOU-SOME- HEARING-AIDS!"

No run around, nothing. Nice goes a long way!

*Squealing tires* Stop again….back up and rewind…..Back to the quite evening….Ha….We were putting the freshly patted out hamburgers and the cut-n-half potatoes on the grill when we hear car tires squealing on the road and a loud POP! Remember I did mention squealing tires. Our little road is a cul-de-sac…..this was out on the other road…the road which has the BIG bad downhill curve or up-hill depending if you are coming or going! And you know me….I had to go see, go help was more like it. After all, I have worked in a dentist office before so I was qualified, right? So off I go, leaving hubby with the burgers….Jump in car, go down drive way, turn left, stop at end of our road and see the wreck. OK…now here’s something disturbing….Several cars had went by with only one man on a motorcycle stopping to help the poor little fellow. So here I go. First I tell the man to let’s get the giant garbage can out of the road before someone else comes around and down the curve and has another wreck on top of this one. Why he had not already done this, was beyond me! Must be a man thing. The young fellow appeared to be fine and was calling 911 himself. Another disturbing thing….the dispatcher said to him "Well you sound OK, are you sure we need to send anyone?" ............….Hello!!!!!!!!! This poor little fellow had just rolled his small car 3-4 times before it stopped on its side, finally falling back on all fours in the ditch. Looked like a total loss to me. Bless his heart, by this time he is crying a little, trying to be tough, so I gave him a big hug and told him it was going to be OK. Of all things he apologized to me for being upset and crying. Details: Junior in high school, lives down the road, his dad is a doctor, he calls dad, dad comes, checks him over…He’s OK other than a bad bruise/scrape from the seatbelt. So we talk a little and I finally tell him I’m going on home and get out of the way. Even though he lived near, I did not know him but it didn’t matter.

He thanked me for being there, talking to him, and giving him a big hug!

My heart melted.

Ooooooh the simply random acts of kindness

that makes your heart zing with joy.
Comfort…..and then comes the Joy.

PS….the big loud POP came from hitting the giant empty garbage can sitting beside the road……..today was our pick-up day! Thank God for seat belts and the smarts to wear them. Remember to buckle up; you may just save a life…..Yours!

PSS….The burgers were great along with the melted hoop cheese, toasted buns, grilled potatoes with citrus pepper and butter. Yum….

Here’s how to do the grilled potatoes:

2 small to medium sized baking potatoes, scrubbed well
Pam spray
Seasoning of choice….mine is citrus pepper and salt

Bake potatoes in the microwave, after poking a few holes in them with a knife, for 4 ½ minutes. Slice them in half length wise with a sharp knife. As you will see they are nearly done at this point. But don’t stop there since you already got the grill going! Spray each half with Pam, all over, bottom and tops. Sprinkle cut side with the seasonings and place face down on the grill. Grill for approximately 8 minutes, watching carefully for burning. Serve them up with butter!

PSSS…I’m still trying to figure out what the man on the motorcycle was doing to help?!? Maybe just his presence was enough….after all he was the first and only one to stop before I got there with my hugs.

Leaving you to soak this up for now….
In the days when an ice cream sundae cost much less, a 10-year-old boy entered a hotel coffee shop and sat at a table. A waitress put a glass of water in front of him.

"How much is an ice cream sundae?'"he asked.

"Fifty cents," replied the waitress.

The little boy pulled his hand out of his pocket and studied the coins in it.

"Well, how much is a plain dish of ice cream?" he inquired.

By now more people were waiting for a table and the waitress was growing impatient.

"Thirty-five cents," she brusquely replied.

The little boy again counted his coins.

"I'll have the plain ice cream," he said.

The waitress brought the ice cream, put the bill on the table and walked away. The boy finished the ice cream, paid the cashier and left. When the waitress came back, she began to cry as she wiped down the table. There, placed neatly beside the empty ice cream dish, were two nickels and five pennies..

You see, he couldn't have the sundae, because he had to have enough left to leave her a tip.

Saying My ABC's Series of photos
Kindness if for "K"

~ No act of kindness is wasted.~

William Purkey