Because I get so sick of all the bad news and bad people in the world, I thought I'd share this little incident with you.
Yesterday my daughter and I were putting some purchases in our car when we saw a man nearby get into his car and start it, preparing to leave. As he did this, a young mother with a child in a chest-pack type carrier and a completely full grocery cart attempted to maneuver her cart behind his car and over to her own. We noticed the man stop his car, get out, and help the young woman to her car where he unloaded her grocery cart for her.
This isn't about a good deed, but it warmed my heart anyway.
Yesterday we visited some friends for a backyard party. There were three dogs playing together and my daughter thought it was the funniest thing she had ever seen. The dogs were running around near us and Joey started laughing hysterically. Dan and I smiled so big that our faces hurt.
A few weeks ago I had to take my daughter for some blood tests (all was fine). The last time she had had blood tests, she nearly passed out and had to be wheeled out of the lab to a "recovery" room, so she was not exactly happy about having more tests. In fact, being 15, she was exceedingly UNhappy about having to have them and did not fail to make her unhappiness very clearly known to me.
So we sat there, in the waiting room, she glaring and saying every few minute, "I am NOT going to do this," I swallowing hard and biting my tongue but feeling the steam build up inside of me. Then we see a lab technician look over Claire's orders. She had her mask pulled down under her chin, and was oozing mucus, coughing, wiping her nose on her sleeve....and Claire REALLY glared at me, with one of those highly articulate glares that says: "If she is doing my bloodtests I will surely die from the contagion and that won't be good but at least I will have the satisfaction of knowing this is ALL YOUR FAULT." Even I began to have second thoughts amidst the wheezing and oozing.
However, that technician was, happily for all concerned, leaving for the day, and we were before long shown into a room where a very different kind of presence defined the space. "I'm Hattie," she said in her Jamaican accent, her front teeth easily a half inch apart from each other and her body round and black and about 50 years old. "What's your name, you pretty girl you?" Claire looked at me doubtfully but was clearly brightening and answered her quietly. Hattie went on, commenting on Claire's clothes (camouflage pants, faux leopard skin vest, blue hair): "Girl, your outfit is so on! How you get to that look of yours, huh? Now tell Hattie...are you a musician? Because I am too. Play the trombone, sing gospel. I just can't get enough music in my life, uh huh."
Claire was a total goner, talking about her band, the songs she writes, how she wants to learn to scream when she sings....and Hattie was listening, nodding, mm hmmm'ing all through this as she drew the blood and beamed at Claire. When she was done, she said, "Claire Skinner. I'm gonna remember that name, girl, because YOU gonna be famous. I'll say, 'I took her blood once, I did.'"
The whole rest of the afternoon Claire was happy and singing, looking at herself in the mirror, admiring her taste in clothes. No kidding, Hattie turned our day around with her deep good nature, and both Claire and I decided we'd try to do the same whenever we could.
Oh, it's the usual story, but when I was playing as part of a trio for a wedding reception last Friday, the wee kiddies were hopping and gyrating madly on the dance floor for nearly every set. It happens all the time, but it always seems fresh to me. I have to smile inwardly when I'm playing flute, though.
Jigs usually seem to be the most compelling with the little ones.
If you want the grownups to cut a rug, waltzes and mazurkas will reliably draw a handful of them out like moths to a flame.
On Saturday my wife and I had the honor to take our four and a half year old granddaughter to get shoes, tights and dress for the ballet lessons her mother had signed her up for. So we went to the dance studio and went through the measuring, etc. and Maggie tried on the outfit. When she saw herself in the studio's mirror she began to dance and watch herself, completely oblivious to everybody else in the studio. It was a dance of joy without inhibition, an angelic smile on her face. I swear, if I could regain that childlike sense of joy and living in the moment I would put on a tutu and dance in front of a mirror too. What a gift it is to be a grandpa!
Mike
About 40 years ago I was lying in Holy Cross Hospital dying. The staff had told my wife not to get her hopes up because I probably would not make it. I had a nontypical ruptered appendix that left me with severe peritonitis due to an E.Coli infection. The antibiotics wouldn't kill this strain. Further I entered the hospital about a month and a half before Christmas. Of course I had not bought any gifts for my wife because men wait until a day or two before an event to do such things.
On Christmas Eve my boss and long time friend came into the hospital to see me. We talked for a while and then he gave me a small package. He said, "This is for you to give to your wife. I know that you couldn't get out to get her something."
Later that night my wife came in and after a few minutes I gave her the package. She said, "What is it?" I said, "You will have to open it to find out." This was true because I had no idea what was in the package. It was a bottle of Chanel Number 5. From that day to this she has worn Chanel Number 5. We always remember that simple but wonderful act of kindness.
When my long-time employers, Casady & Greene, Inc., went out of business a little over a year ago, I posted something about them at http://www.coastalfog.net/idata/candg.html
Here's a extract that's relevant to this thread:
Casady & Greene was a family business in many ways. Not only were several of the owners family, but quite a few employees got to work with their family members, as well. There were at least two pairs of sisters, and several married couples (including me and my wife for a while), and the children of many employees had summer jobs there. And all employees were treated like family.
My own experience with this is that my wife had a stroke in the summer of 1998 that paralyzed her left side. After six weeks in a rehab center, she came home, and required constant care for some time. When it became apparent that I wasn't going to get much work done, Charles [Fulweiler, CEO] told me to take all the time I needed. He said, "Take off as much time as you need. If it takes a month, take it. If it takes a year, take it." In fact, I ended up taking off about six months with pay, while I figured out how to deal with being able to take care of my wife while working from home.
For several years after that, a couple of the company's owners brought a couple more employees over to my house once a week to play mah jong with my wife during lunch. Even though I had to be laid off a year ago [June 2002], the company continued to pay for my wife's dental insurance.
Mike Wright
"When an idea is wanting, a word can always be found to take its place."
--Goethe
Ron's story about a gift brings this story to mind. I attended a funeral for a local musician's mom. At this musician's next live performance, I brought a gift. The gift was a silver dollar coin from the year that the musician's mom was born.
I handed it over and the musician dropped it, almost as if seeing a ghost. Then came the story: the mom used to go to Las Vegas all the time and play the dollar slot machines when they still took real silver dollars (as opposed to casino tokens). Mom would usually have good luck and bring home some silver dollars for each kid. This musician kept those coins for many years. Unfortunately, the entire stash of silver dollars was stolen, never to be seen again. As you might imagine the gift was appreciated.
+ Bill
Sunday morning at the Milwaukee Irish Fest, I was sitting in a tent wearing my Chiff & Fipple t-shirt and listening to Grainne Hambly play some beautiful tunes on her harp when a gentleman came to the table and asked if I was Dale Wisely. Of course I denighed that mis-identity as humbly as possible and became involved in a great discussion about local bands and sessions. I certainly learned a lot since I'm new to the area.
I must appoligize to Dale. I failed to think on my feet as quickly as he does. Had I not been so honest and quick with my response I'm sure I would owe him at least a couple of beers.
Oh well, any time you're in Racine Dale be sure to drop by there's usually som Guiness in the celler and always a drop of Jamisons in the cupbord.
A few years ago, around Christmastime, I was grocery shopping, and a young man that I did not know walked up to me as I was filling my cart and handed me a twenty dollar bill. He said, "I wanted you to have this." I told him thank you, to which he responded "God bless you."
Walden wrote:A few years ago, around Christmastime, I was grocery shopping, and a young man that I did not know walked up to me as I was filling my cart and handed me a twenty dollar bill. He said, "I wanted you to have this." I told him thank you, to which he responded "God bless you."
This brings to mind my grandma, she has never had much money in her life. She gives what money she does have away left and right, always saying that the best use of money is to watch others spend it. And a happier person I have yet to meet in my life. Just like the old saying, money can not buy everything.
And true to how giving can influence a person, her family during the wars and depressions used to have familys on weekends drive from detroit to their farm to have a meal and take some food home. Not even knowing me as I was not born, these people and their descendants have contacted me to thank me and some have even took me to a meal.
I was playing at the market on Sat and two ladies
showed up to register voters. I asked if they
were from a church; previous registrars have been
church folk. They said they were from a
synagogue. Unlike the church folk, when people
said they didn't want to register these ladies
followed them down the street, arguing with them:
'Don't you care about your country? etc.
I kept playing jigs and reels and after awhile
the ladies started dancing, in fact, they seemed
to care increasingly less about registering people
and more about dancing. When they left
they put five dollars in my jar.
Well, a few years ago I was coming out of a bar with my ex-girlfriend (we were kinda drunk) and another drunk young woman came out of the bar and was being very rude, bumping into people and telling them to f#%! off... She pushed my girlfriend, but instead of getting mad, my girlfriend held the other woman and asked her what was wrong. The "mean" woman kept on saying nasty things to my girlfriend but my girlfriend kept on asking her calmly what was wrong and if she could help. At one point the other woman warmed up, they both sat, and the "mean" girl started saying that she's been dumped that night and just didnt know how to handle the whole thing, she was really hurt. They kept on talking for a few minutes, then they finally hugged, the other woman was crying but you could see she felt much better, and completely changed her behavior.
I learned a lot about human nature that night, it truly made me see things from another angle.
