Kindness of strangers

[spacecowgirl]

Quote:
What a touching story. I hope he made it back home okay...you did a wonderful thing.

It also reminded me of a very similar story that happened to my boyfriend and I when I was about 16. (about 17 years ago).
There was a man that we'd seen walking around town for a few months or so; I remember that he was always wearing these bright neon, hot pink sweat pants... anyway, late one night we stopped in at Waffle House to get a bite to eat before getting home before curfew.

The man was sitting at the counter drinking a cup of coffee. (We knew it was him due to the hot pink sweat pants

We sat a few seats away from him and wound up striking up a conversation with him. Turns out he had no money and had no home. I don't think we ever got the details as to why, but we did insist on him ordering a big plate of food, our treat. So we sat and chatted and had waffles together. He was very nice, and appreciative.

We asked where he was going to stay that night, ( like in your story, it was cold out ), and he said he might be able to stay in this place down the road, if he was lucky. So we drove him there. It turned out to be this little run down ( I thought it was abandoned ) strip of tiny rooms...he went to a house on the property and woke the people up probably to get permission, ( I guess he knew them somehow ) then we accompanied him to his "room"...

It was literally 6 feet by 6 feet, no electricity, and no furniture. He said he'd be fine on the floor. I sooo wish I'd had the money at that time to put him up in a real hotel room, like you did, but like I said, I was 16 and was lucky to have gas money at the time. But he insisted he was fine and thanked us profusely for what very little we had done for him.

He was just a nice guy down on his luck, and I know we didn't do much, but I sure hope he's doing okay now.

 

[Marcymom3]

My son married the daughter of one of my dearest friends. Patty is one of the most thoughtful people I have ever met. On the one year anniversary of my father's death, she came to my office carrying a beautiful hydrangea. That was one of my dad's favorites and mine also. The blooms are a beautiful deep french blue, and when I see them I am reminded to thank God for friends like Patty and for my wonderful parents!

She inspired me. We are at an age where our friends' parents are passing on. We send a sympathy card, but then send a pretty evergreen arrangement from LL Bean to our friends the next Christmas. The holidays without a loved one are tough.

 

[Fierlin1182]

I hope one day I might be able to help someone in a big way too. Now I don't have much money though, so I can only put forward my shoulder when someone needs a cry.

 

[M.sue]

These stories are so great....keep them coming!!

 

[In His Service]

ray's two cents :

I hope one day I might be able to help someone in a big way too. Now I don't have much money though, so I can only put forward my shoulder when someone needs a cry.

Sometimes a shoulder to cry on is what is needed most.​

 

[Beekissed]

I agree! Sometimes the kindest acts don't involve money but your time and compassion. There are many very lonely people at nursing homes who would just love to have someone to rub lotion into their hands, comb their hair, talk to them or even watch some TV with them.

 

[Fierlin1182]

I've never done much volunteer work.
I'm allergic to some animals, the the majority of the stuff available here is to do with rehabilitating animals.
And the folks in old peoples' homes need to have the proper qualifications.

But I try to be there for anyone who needs an ear.

 

[CityGirlintheCountry]

A while back I decided to start randomly complimenting people. I love it when someone says something nice to me out of the blue. It makes my whole day. I figured why should I not make someone else's day. If you pay attention you can usually find something cool about another person.

I was once at a play and this older gentleman with gorgeous white hair walked past me on the stairs. We made eye contact and I said "You have beautiful hair!". He stopped dead in his tracks stunned as I grinned and kept on walking. At the end of the play I saw him again in the lobby. He made a beeline for me and said, "You have beautiful hair too!". He then grinned like an 8 year old boy and went happily on his way. We had a lovely "mutual admiration day" that evening. I still smile when I think about him and how tickled he was to return the compliment.

So you don't have to have money. Just pay people an honest compliment. It makes a world of difference.

 

[Beekissed]

I agree! I like to compliment people on their jobs and how well they are doing them.

As for visiting the old folks' home....one can merely walk in and sit down beside someone in the lobby or near the nurse's station. Say, "Hi, how are you?" to the old lady or gent sitting next to you and see just how quick you get some conversation. Then come back and do it again and to others and pretty soon you have a whole bunch of new friends who look forward to your visits and who have had a bright spot in their otherwise same old day.

After that the nursing home staff start noticing you come in regularly and they start treating you like family, invite you to events, and let you know if your friend(s) having a bad day and could use some extra cheering up.

It all starts really small most of the time but it can add up to something really big in these people's lives.

 

[Fierlin1182]

In my job I meet a lot of people. Sometimes on a regular basis, and the old ones are always the ones who are ready for a chat any time. I've learned a lot about a few of the ladies' lives as a result of a slow day. They chat about their Aussie Day celebrations, their kids (one of them had adopted three kids from Asia, I thought that was cute) and their holidays. There's some nice people out there.