Tis The Season
12-6-06
Two days ago, I made an old man cry. It wasn't my intention,
I assure you. I vacillated between keeping this story to myself
or sharing it with others to make a point. I leave it to you
to decide whether I made a smart choice in doing the latter...
Dave took care of Baby Jaymun Monday
in the hospital. Our oldest, Ben, had a band concert at his high school Monday
night, and it was important to me that I be there to hear him play. While our
children were in school that morning, I tried to run some quick errands. I had
some items to return at a store, so I decided to start with that.
As I walked into the store (which was Target, for those who thrive
on details), I couldn't help but notice the Salvation Army bellringer
outside the doors. I think it's a shame that due to some "
naysayers", the Salvation Army has had to move further
and further away from the actual entrance to avoid insulting anyone who
believes that Christmas is now just a "Season's Greeting" kind of
holiday. I noticed the bellringer because he was
waving energetically to every single person who walked past him and into the
store. He had an enormous smile on his face and he greeted each person with a
loud, "Merry Christmas to you!" I admire anyone who ignores the
politically correct salutation of "Happy Holidays" and can belt
out a strong "Merry Christmas" instead. It didn't matter if people
dropped change into his red tin bucket or not--he persisted in his mission
regardless.
I should preface this story by saying it was COLD outside.
And windy. Snow had started flying and people were walking
briskly just to get inside the warm store. I made eye contact with him and he
smiled and yelled, "Oh my, it's freezing out here! Merry
Christmas to you!" I noticed that although he was dressed
appropriately, he was clearly shivering, and well on his way to becoming a
human popsicle. I walked into the store and the idea
came to me that it would be wonderful to just bless this kind old man for
standing out in the cold on behalf of the Salvation Army. He could have been
selfish that day and stayed indoors at home, with his feet propped up in a cozy
Lazy Boy recliner. But he didn't. He chose to take a few hours of his time to
help out an organization that is widely known for helping others in need.
I made my purchases and walked back outside. I walked up to
this sweet old man and handed him a bag from the store. I said, "Merry
Christmas to you," and started to walk away. He looked inside the bag and
exclaimed, "Wait a minute! What is this, young lady?"
(Young lady. Oh, he has endeared himself to my
heart forever...) I said, "It's a scarf for you. You looked cold and
I just thought you could use one to keep warm." He was visibly surprised
and taken aback. I helped him tie it around his neck and then the idea came to
me. I asked him what hot drink was his favorite. He loudly protested at first
but then said he wouldn't mind hot chocolate. I went back into the store and
brought out a cup of hot chocolate with a warm muffin. I gave him the drink
and tucked the muffin into his apron pocket.
He couldn't keep the smile off his face. He kept saying,
"Why are you doing this? Why would you be so nice to a stranger?" I
told him, "For the same reason you're standing out in the freezing cold,
ringing a bell." We talked for a bit and I then told him
Jaymun's story. I told him how Jaymun's
birth has affected our family, and how complete strangers have sent us cards
and gifts and money, for no other reason than to extend simple human kindness.
I told him I strongly believed that God rewards those who bless others. I said
that having Jaymun has made me so much more aware of
those who are hurting, that his cancer has heightened my resolve to look out
for others in need.
It was then that he cried. It was so cold outside and I
remember how his eyes shone from the tears and how red his face became from the
moisture. He hugged me tight and said he would never forget our story. And I
know he won't.
I was hesitant to tell others this incident, mainly because
I'm afraid of painting myself out to be a Mother Theresa or a Pollyanna-
ish type of person who skips around flinging flowers into
the air. I'm not even close to being the type of person I wish to be. But for
one brief moment, I think I made a difference to another human being. It's the
message I wish to spread to those reading our story. Look for ways to
make a difference in others' lives. It doesn't take much to bring a
smile to someone else's face, mostly because people have stopped expecting to
receive joy from others.
The past week, I have been blessed in the most
unimagineable ways. Several strangers have sent me cards
and a few have gone out of their way to provide our children with thoughtful
gifts. They know who they are and I don't want to leave even one person's name
out by accident. I just know that their kindness to me and my precious family
leaves me at a loss for words. These strangers took a few minutes out of
their day to make mine just a bit more bearable and I thank them for it.
