Investments
I left Bama this evening, making my way back to the Peach State. I have not been here since December 23rd. Most of that was vacation to the House of Mouse, but I am forced now to return to work. I had counted on a full 3 weeks off, but that did not happen.
My main intention when pulling out of the drive was to stop at Exit 310 and fuel up Sally. I always fuel at Exit 310. For some reason, when I reached Exit 325, I whipped off the interstate and pulled into a gas station. Not my normal stop. I was not critically low, and McDonalds was not calling my name, but yet, 325 is where I stopped. While pumping high octane into the Pony Cars belly, I noticed a man who seemed to be at wits end. Turns out, his daughter had just delivered his first grandchild in Auburn, Al and he was on his way back to Nashville after a very long night. She delivered at 3 am, so he looked wore out. Excited, but fatigued, he managed to leave his wallet and cell phone in Auburn. Sitting at the pumps, he counted out lost change he had scrounged to find under his seats. I noticed all the activity, and that is when I asked if everything was okay. He never once asked for money. Instead, he told me his story and asked if I knew if there was a Catholic Church nearby. Not that familiar with the area, I told him I did not.
I finished pumping my gas, and as I made my way in to pay for it, I instructed the clerk to put $11.00 on his pump. That was all the cash I had left. While I was using the restroom, she obviously had told him what I had done and he thanked me profusely. He then asked for my address, so he could send me the money when he got home. I politely told him that would not be necessary. It was an investment.
You see, I believe that if we do what we can to help someone when they are in need, then we will be repaid in our own time of crisis.....
Come to think of it, maybe this is why I am never in a situation where I would require assistance from a complete stranger.
Don't ya just love these "feel good" moments. I know I do.
7 comments:
Powerful moment. Very nice way to get things started for the new year. Watch for the dividends!
That's what keeps us going. You're doing good.
It's always good to Pay It Forward !
That's very cool. It makes you feel good and it certainly helped his mood too.
you did good, girl. what goes around comes around. i think a good year is ahead for you. Gary
Another Pay It Forward moment. It brought to mind the Bible verse that speaks of meeting Angels unaware. I can't remember the reference but I will look it up.
God is using you, girlfriend, just stay open to his leading.
Bless you,
Mama Bear
Oh man. Cynical me figured I would find a reference to this guy somewhere on the web. My husband and I came across him at a gas station/truck stop between Nashville and Chattanooga on I-24, on Mon, Mar 16, 2009. He claimed to be heading home from Atlanta (to Columbia, which did make me wonder what he was doing so close to Nashville if he was coming from ATL) where his daughter (one of 9 kids) had just given birth to his first grandchild, a little girl. He said he'd been looking for a Catholic church so he could ask the priest for $15. He'd left his wallet with his wife, but not his cell phone. In fact, he made quite a show of telling his wife (on the phone) that he was in the middle of nowhere and he felt like an idiot. We gave him $20. He thanked us profusely and promised to send the $ to us as soon as he got home. He must have forgotten. Lol.
Oh well, one bad apple shouldn't spoil the whole bunch ... and I figure we need to help each other out as much as we can, especially since times are so tough for so many right now. And who knows, he might actually desperately need the money himself. He's certainly "working it" for gas or cash.
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