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| Card / Poster from one of my favorite companies: The Printery House ~ Conception Abbey ~ Missouri |
Be gentle when you touch bread.
Let it not lie uncared for,
Beauty of sun and soil,
Winds and rain caressed it,
Christ often blessed it
Be gentle when you touch bread.
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A year or so ago, my friend Rozena, who lives and works and writes in Paris, posted this sweet anecdote:
"Back safely in gay Paris, thanks in large part to an 84 - year - old man with a cane who insisted on carrying my suitcase up two flights of stairs. Apparently after fighting in WWII and doing something - something french - accent - I - don't - understand - something in Province, that's the shit that keeps you young."
I loved Rozena's story and recommended that she save it for a future magazine article. It struck a chord with me because I had recently had a similar experience at the supermarket, loading up my car with donated day - old bread to take to the Food Pantry. My 80 - something guy was having a cup of coffee at the little Starbucks counter that is inside our grocery store, right near the bakery. He asked where I was going with all that bread, and then volunteered to help me wheel it out to my car. When we were done, he said, "Well, I better get back in there and pay for my coffee."
There was something so straightforward about his chivalry and so trusting about his closing remark, like a scene right out of Pleasantville or Mayberry R.F.D. It totally made my day. Maybe it was because a kind stranger had just been so gentle about bread.
My cousin Pam Carriker shared this anecdote of parking lot gentleness:
ReplyDeleteAs I wind down from a busy day, I just have to give thanks for the two gentlemen who helped unlock my car in the parking lot at Lowes today. My dog Relay wanted to go so bad this morning (he loves taking my kiddo to school) and I took him even though I had an errand to run. When I was loading up the car, I set my purse (with phone and keys) on the front seat and closed the door while I loaded up the back. Right after I shut the back door I heard the locks click-my dog knows the buttons roll down the windows. There they were, keys, phone and contrite dog sitting in a locked car! Ugh!! At that exact time a truck pulled up next to me and when the guy got out he looked at me and asked if something was wrong and I told him my dog locked my keys and phone in the car. He laughed and said hang on and proceeded to make a phone call. He called his brother who runs a trucking business with him and said he'll be over in a few minutes and unlock your truck-I thanked him, blown away that some guy was going to come over and just unlock my truck for me. but he did! The two of them were like angels and they wouldn't even accept a cup of coffee. They acted like it was just a normal part of their day to spend a half hour helping some lady whose dog locked her out of the car. My husband and I marvel all the time at how nice people are in Texas and here's just one example. Angels that arrived at exactly the right time and then vanished. And all I can do is give thanks and pay it forward. What could have been an ugly start to the day turned into something that warmed my heart:-)
Pam, not as dramatic, but yesterday when I was coming home from the store, a stray cart started rolling toward my car as I was backing out of my parking space. I stopped to reposition the car and was considering if it would just be better to turn the car off completely and get out and move the cart before proceeding; but before I could do so, the guy next to me, whom I had just seen loading a couple of little kids into his car, got out and moved the cart for me. And then, even though I motioned for him to go ahead -- since he had the kids and all, he waited for me to back out and get going before jumping back into his car. People can be so nice!
ReplyDeletePS. That is also incredibly cute that your dog knows how to push the buttons in the car!
Another one: https://www.facebook.com/kitti.carriker/posts/10106005505171297:3
ReplyDeleteThis story, shared by my Cousin Nick reminded me of a time when the boys were still in junior high, and didn't yet carry wallets & cash around -- after all, these were the olden days. Haha!
I had just picked them up from after school sports, and on the spur of the moment they asked for drive -through milk- shakes at McDonald's. I had the kind of key chain that holds your drivers' license, and had grabbed that when leaving the house -- but no purse -- thinking I was just going straight to school & back.
It didn't occur to me until we got to the pay window -- where two large shakes were ready & waiting -- that none of us had money with us, except for whatever loose change was in the car. We had almost enough -- not quite.
So let's hear it for problem - solving skills & generosity! My first thought was to down-size the order -- or just apologize and leave empty - handed. Instead, the cashier said, "That's okay, I can charge you for mediums" -- yet still gave us the larges. One small step for human- kindness!
And some good Post Office Stories from my brother Bruce:
ReplyDelete"Loosely translated from a German website I visit sometimes:
'Small town life is when the mailman brings your mail into the local tavern because he notices your car in the parking lot.'"
Even here in Indiana: one day, our mailman noticed that I had an outgoing notecard to my neighbor a few blocks up on Robinson, so he just crossed through the stamp (to keep it legal) and took it to her on the very same day!
Another time, he had driven up our driveway (as you know, kind of long & steep) with packages, just as I was getting reading to lug some garbage bags down to the curb (this was before the day of totes on wheels). So he handed me the pkgs, then tossed the black bags on his truck & said, "No worries, I'll take your garbage to the curb on my way down." I said, "Is that allowed by the USPS." He said, "It is now!"
More: https://www.facebook.com/bcarriker/posts/10223839251543020