Random Acts of Kindness

[Beekissed]

Revived this thread to tell a funny on myself.

Not often do I get a chance to do a RAOK to a complete stranger...I don't mean holding doors open, putting money in meters, or giving a ride to a stranded motorist and such. These opportunities arise more frequently.

So, the other day I was in a large stream of traffic that was being held up by a slow moving and obviously in distress Dodge Neon. They pulled off at a local eatery a few doors down from a local garage. I got a sudden urge to help these folks...the good Lord knows that vehicle trouble has been the biggest headache for me over all these many years. I thought to myself, NOW...NOW I can make a difference and no one has to know about it.

So I nervously pulled into the parking lot, all the while thinking that these folks are gonna think I'm stark-raving mad!! As I was trying to get up the nerve to approach them a vehicle pulled up next to them and the fella must have told them about the garage down the road. They saw me eyeballing them and they pulled out slowly and limped down to the garage. I followed.

By this time I was feeling like a very creepy stalker and I saw them notice me....following them....watching them. So I took a deep breath and got out of my truck, wallet in hand and walked up to the young couple. They nervously looked at me and then avoided my eyes. I didn't blame them! Weird, fat lady in nursing scrubs following them from one place to the next? I would be nervous too!

I said, "I know you are going to think I'm crazy but.....I've been where you are now more times than I care to remember. Can I contribute towards your car repair?"

The girl looked at me like I had a third eye and kind of shrugged and slowly said, "Suuuuure....."

So I wrote her a check and told her to have the garage check the O2 sensor on her car before diagnosing it with a bad catalytic convertor, although the smell sort of indicated the latter. Those Neons are bad for O2 sensors going bad....but..... I digress.

I drove away feeling a little embarassed and with a great little secret. The young couple sort of smiled at me when I left.

I am at my office later in the day when I get a call from that garage. The lady had a very strident voice and asked me with a very aggressive tone, "Are you -------------? I am----------, from -------- Garage and I just received a check made out with your signature on it and I just wanted to check to see if it was legitimate." I told her it was and asked if everything was alright? I assured her that I had money in the bank to back up the check.

She said, "Oh, it's alright....I just needed to check because these people said you just gave them this check out of the blue and I wasn't sure if that were true or if the check was stolen." (can you believe that???)

So....later I get home and asked my mother if she had given someone my work number today. She said she had and she knew the whole story already. I had hoped to sort of keep that from her because she feels like I don't have enough money to be playing loose with it.... she found out anyway. She told the garage lady that it "sounded like something she would do"....I get the impression that this wasn't meant in a flattering way....

So..... my quazi-good deed thingy went waaaaaayyyyyyy too noticed and, once again, I feel like folks are scratching their heads and thinking of fitting me for a white coat......

 

[gettinaclue]

That was wonderful Bee! You did such a good thing!!!

 

[Farmfresh]

The sad part of the story is that no one could "believe" a gift like that was real. Not enough kindness around these days. We all KNOW you probably qualify for that white jacket. You would be sitting right next to me in mine! What this sad old world NEEDS is a few more crazies like you in it!

 

[Aidenbaby]

Bee, crazy is why we like you. I think it's very sweet what you did.

 

[The YardFarmers]

Our local Aldis grocery store requires you to put in a quarter to unlock the grocery cart. When you return it and rehook up the lock, the quarter is returned to you.

It's a small thing, but I always leave the quarter in for the next person. I have had so many sad, teary days, that for me, not having to hassle with a quarter would have been the only blessing in my day- so I do it just to give a little lift to someone else.

Last month I was hurrying to get to the Aldis grocery story before they closed and wouldn't you know, I couldn't find ANY change in my purse, under/in the car seats. I decided to go to the store and just ask if they could please lend me one. They were very pleasant and did lend me one, which in itself brightened my day.

But wouldn't you know, the cart I chose HAD A QUARTER LEFT IN IT. I started to laugh and then thought..................oh ye, of little faith.

 

[rebecca100]

I love reading these stories. You guys are wonderful. Now I have to add mine. One of recieving and one of giving. Two years ago on Thankgiving my elderly dad and I had the three kids(one just a baby) and we had gone shopping. Now we have always been on the low-income side and then was no different. I was buying only what we absolutely had to have-I refuse to take any assistance. We live on the outskirts of a resort community. While we were shopping my ds was talking to everyone in the store and I was asking dad what he needed for his house and was getting his groceries with ours. He was hard to understand because he had bell's palsy so I was also translating for him since his speech was slurred. Well ds started talking to a lady who had come to visit her family for the holidays. I called him back and told her that he would talk her ear off if she let him and she said it was just fine. We got ready to check out and she asked if it was okay if he went with her for a minute and if she got him something. I hesitantly answered that he could and warned him privately that he HAD BETTER NOT ask for everything in sight. We finished checking out and put our groceries in the car and waited on ds. They came out about 15 minuted later with a cart full of stuff! She had bought everything we needed for Thankgiving. A turkey AND ham and rolls, pies, veggies. Everything! When she started handing me stuff I couldn't help it I just started crying and gave her a hug. All ds said was "momma I promise the only thing I asked for was the rolls." That was the best Thanksgiving in a long time. I do have a MAJOR problem accepting help even when we need it, but she didn't know us or our situation so what she did was out of kindness.

Now on to our story of helping. Dh's mothers landlord's ex-husband had altheimers in the later stages. Their daughter took care of him, but had hurt her back and he was coming to stay with his ex-wife until her back was a little better. To our suprise even though we didn't know them well they called and asked us if we would help get him out of the vehicle and in his wheelchair. Dh of course agreed. We went over there and got him in his chair and then into the house in a recliner. The daughter offered to pay. Dh turned her down and told her that there was no reason to pay us for a few minutes of our time that it took to do that. She asked if we would kinda help if her mother needed it. It ended up where dh got him in and out of bed everyday before and after work. i worked nights, but would come when dh couldn't. We did that for about 2 weeks. The daughter offered to pay us, but we refused since it didn't take 30 min or so a day out of our time. She told us that no even his own grandkids who live nearby would help and she was at the point that she din't know what to do if we had refused to help. That Christmas she gave the kids cards with probably close to $300 cash.

 

[The YardFarmers]

Rebecca100,

Thanks for sharing both those stories. such good testimonies to share with your kids too. I really like to hear about these- and will look at this thread more often.

Blessings to you.

 

[Beekissed]

I love to hear stories about people looking outside themselves as they rush through this life! Great stories! Rebecca, I have been where you were many times when the kindness of others has left me speechless and crying. It seems as if God always knows when you are at the bottom of despair and sends an angel to show you kindness just when you think you are lost.


As a further note....I got two calls at the house and one at my office from the owner of the garage. He told my mother that he hadn't ever seen anyone do that for complete strangers before and it prompted him to fix their catalytic converter for the $100 I gave them instead of the $175 it was going to cost!!! They told him they didn't have $175, even with my check....so he told them to go for a walk and he would do something about it.

This fella has two garages in the county and I've heard he is none too honest at times.....maybe a seed has been planted? God sure works in mysterious ways, huh?

Anyhoo....I just wish he would kind of keep it on the low-low or something.

 

[FarmerDenise]

As a further note....I got two calls at the house and one at my office from the owner of the garage. He told my mother that he hadn't ever seen anyone do that for complete strangers before and it prompted him to fix their catalytic converter for the $100 I gave them instead of the $175 it was going to cost!!! They told him they didn't have $175, even with my check....so he told them to go for a walk and he would do something about it.

This fella has two garages in the county and I've heard he is none too honest at times.....maybe a seed has been planted? God sure works in mysterious ways, huh?

It does seem you planted a seed in his heart

 

[Farmfresh]

I was at the muffler shop when the owner repaired a broken exhaust system for some people for free. They were broke, stuck out of town and had their exhaust dragging. The came in an asked if he would put a temporary bracket on to hold it up for $12.00 because that is all they had. He agreed. Then he replaced their whole exhaust system and refused to take any money!

I love Benny my muffler man. He is a Russian immigrant, a Christian and has a great affection for racing pigeons in addition to a big heart.