Recently, Sid Edwards
and his son Jack Ryan, 17, were shopping at their local Rouses Market in Baton
Rouge, Louisiana. During the process of
shopping, Jack Ryan, who is autistic, was mesmerized watching one of the store
employees restock items in the fridge section.
Edwards thought his son was wanting him to buy orange juice, but after
getting a can to purchase, his son kept watching as the man restocked the
shelves. Jordan Taylor also noticed Jack
Ryan’s attention. He said, “Something in
the back of my mind was just like, ‘ask if he wants to help you.’” For thirty minutes Jordan would hand Jack
Ryan an item and he would place it on one of the refrigerated shelves. Sid Edwards responded, “It was a big
deal. Somehow this young man reached my
son … he went into Jack Ryan’s world.”
Edwards took a video and sent it to his family. His daughter posted it on Facebook in
appreciation of the opportunity Jordan had given her
brother. When interviewed by WAFB,
Jordan said, “I was just happy that I could make someone else happy and make
their day.”
Dr. David Harnish is the
Superintendent/High School Principal/Junior High Principal in Martin, Michigan,
a district with 625 students. With the
passing of an $18 million bond, several upgrades were made to improve the
schools. Even though the funds had been
spent to better the schools and make wonderful improvements, Dr. Harnish noted
that it had been 17 years since the school had been painted. After pricing the painting upgrade, the
Superintendent noted, “That $150,000 would have taken away from (the) kids or
the potential for us to take care of our staff.” With that as his motivation, and at a
fraction of the cost, Dr. Harnish spent 90 hours a week this summer painting
the school to have it ready for the start of the academic year. He was joined by a few of the graduated
seniors who volunteered their time as a way to give back to their school and
community.
This week, Branch
Whitlock took his toddler aged son to the local hardware store in Decatur,
Alabama. Bryton was asleep as they
entered the store, but woke up too soon from his needed nap. With tears and loud crying, Bryton caught the
attention of customer service specialist, Kim.
With permission, Kim gently took the toddler, rubbed his back, walked
back and forth while singing, “O, How I Love Jesus” softly in Bryce’s ear. With his son quietly resting his head on
Kim’s shoulder, Branch was able to complete his shopping. Not only did the hardware store complete a
sell that day, they also earned an appreciative customer who spread the news of
their excellent customer service.
Whether large or small,
what a difference we could make if we took time to respond from the heart to
the opportunities we are given.
He
has shown you, O mortal, what is good
and what does the LORD
require of you?
To
act justly, and to love mercy
And to walk humbly with your God
Micah 6:8
Love
is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud.
1 Corinthians 13:4
But
the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness,
faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law.
Galatians 5:22-23
Therefore,
as God’s chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with
compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience.
Colossians 3:12
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