Something To Think About

 

The beauty of helping others...like the beauty of vintage roses....just never goes out of style...you know it?

And I know some people get so SO sick and tired of me talking about helping other people...I mean goodness...what about YOU...right?  When is someone going to come along and do something really nice for YOU?

Well...don't know....do you NEED help?

So often though...I think it's those that have the least...that are the quickest to try to help others. 

I remember one day going to Paducah...and this was back about 2001...give or take a year.  There were many reports of cougars in our area and I was SO SO worried about geezer and our son and grandsons that hunt so many places in Massac County...
So I took a wad of cash and headed to Walmart to get Walkie Talkie's for all 4 of them.  This was before cell phones got so popular and way before we got ours. 

I had gotten to where I was going over board a little...or by geezer's standards anyway...on helping  and geezer had already given me the sit down lecture about retiring soon and I was going to have to start being more selective about helping and how much I helped.

So when I pulled into the lane just before the Walmart parking lot and saw the man standing out beside his truck with a sign "Stranded with family...Please Help" my heart just sunk and I was thinking..."If I help YOU...you old geezer..."I" may be needing some help my dog GONE self" He was in a big truck with a covering over the bed of the truck and there was a woman and little girl inside.

SOOOOOOOOO I knew I couldn't rest until I saw if he was going to get help....So I pulled down a few rows from where they were in their truck and just watched.  I watched for almost an hour and after about 40 minutes...ONE SINGLE SOLITARY CAR....pulled up and a man got out and talked to the man at the truck. 
The old car that pulled up and the old man that got out of it...looked like HE needed help more than the family in the truck.  They talked a bit and shook hands and the old guy got back in his car and left.  I thought weeeeeeeeellllllllllll gooooooooooooooodd....HE isn't in a position to help them and no one else is stopping.
So I pulled up to the truck and got out to hear his story.  He had been having heart problems and was in declining health and he was trying to move his family across country to the Carolina's so they'd be closer to the wife's family if something were to happen to him OR if they just needed family close if he got bad. 

He had had trouble with his truck en route and had spent the last cash he had in Marion, Illinois...to have it repaired and now he was worrying about gas money to get them on to where they were going.  PLUS he was having another little issue with the truck.
I was thinking as he was talking...."I" AM in a position to help them...but geezer may way lay me if I DO and I'll be on the 6pm news"....
SOOOO I went to the phone booth that used to be by the door at Walmart and went down the yellow pages and called every church in Paducah that had a listening and could not find one single church that would help them right then. 
ONE church...one of the biggest in Paducah said "They MAY be able to help them LATER...but it would take 3 days to get through the paper work"...I said "Well I can hear several people laughing and talking in the back ground...is there a chance that you could each donate $10 to help this family and I'll be helping them too"  The lady said "Oh noooooooooooooo ma'am...WE can't do THAT"...Ooooooooooooooooooooookkkkkkkkkkk  God bless you for your Christian spirit and you have a good day...."  :-0  .............................click

So I went back to the family in the truck after making tons of calls and about the time I got there...a station wagon pulled up....and a man asked what the problem was.  Turned out he was a preacher from Tennessee and he was on the road traveling TOO.  He asked the man about the new problem with his truck...and this preacher thought he could get it lined out if he had the parts.  SOOO to make a long story short...the preacher topped their tank off and fixed the truck...I covered the cost of what he needed to do that and bought supper for the family and together we figured up about how much this family would need for gas and a couple meals to get on to the Carolina's and I gave them that....Turned out...most of my cash went to help the family...my guys got NO walkie talkie's...but were able to avoid the cougars anyway...and everybody was happy...
And yes...I checked out their story...I used to take everybody at their word...but I've learned people fib to get your money   :-/   Shame shame SHAME on some of you people!!!

I was reading a story earlier this morning about a single mom trying to raise her kids.  Dad had passed away a couple years earlier but mom was doing her best.  During November one year, their pastor had announced that they were going to be taking donations to help a needy family at Christmas.  And he asked that everyone donate as best they could.

The kids were excited about this project and mom explained that they'd help a little...but they couldn't do much.  The kids were saving change, raking leaves for neighbors and turning off lights to cut down the light bill...it became a game to them to be able to save enough to help this needy family the pastor was talking about. 
The week before Christmas came and they had saved $70 and they were ecstatic.   And they couldn't wait to donate the money at church.  Mom had taken the loose change and all the one's and got 3 $20 bills for it and 1 $10 and they happily put it in the plate at church for the needy family.

That Sunday afternoon the pastor knocked on their door and talked to mom a bit and handed her an envelope and inside that envelope was cash...3 $20 bills...1 $10 and 17 ones.  Their heart sank when they realized THEY were the needy family at church.
The girls didn't even want to go back to church but mom insisted.  And there was a missionary there and he was raising money to build a church in Africa.  He said that just $100 would put a whole roof on a church in Africa and the girls faces lit up and they smiled at mom.  Mom took out the envelope of money when the plate was passed for the missionary and put all of the money in the plate.  The money was counted and the pastor said "We can be proud...we've collected $104 for the church in Africa"  The missionary got up and said "You're a very blessed church...you evidently have some rich families in this church"  The little girls smiled at their mom as they realized 'they were not the POOR family in church....THEY were the RICH family" because THEY had donated $70 of the $104 raised.

Sooooooooooo often....it's the folks that have the least....that are willing to give the most...because THEY know...how hard life can be.....

Be a giver....you will be blessed!

Now TOMORROW...we're going to talk about something besides giving...I'm not sure WHAT just yet....but you stop back by and SEE what I can come up with....maybe 'vintage love'...one of my favorite subjects  :-)  or getting organized...or maybe we'll talk about healing our bodies naturally....WHO KNOWS!!!   But if you miss it...it just may be the best blog yet.....hahaha

Peace and love from the canyon....I love you all gobs and gobs and thanks so SO much...for stopping by....