Not Forgetting to do Good

 

Kimberly Yockey knew it was going to be a hard day for her husband, as he was attending the funeral of one of his best friends.  He had been quiet and tried to stay strong.  After the service, the Yockeys joined his mother at Applebee’s, in Fresno, for lunch.  On the way in, Mr. Yockey held the door open for an elderly man.  After being seated, a man came up, patted him on the back, and thanked him for holding the door open for the older gentleman.  Before leaving, the man came back, shook hands, and gave Mr. Yockey ten dollars.  He tried to refuse, but the man insisted.  As Kimberly posted the story, she stated, “To this man who I hope will find this post and read this, thank you for being such a nice guy.  You did not know the pain my husband felt today but you felt after him being polite to someone he deserved a pat on the back.  You made my husband smile and forget for a minute that his friend just passed, you helped him remember that being a nice guy is sometimes what counts.  I hope you read this and you know from the bottom of my heart I thank you.”

A mother was driving back from her son’s track meet in Minnesota when the car had a flat tire on the Iowa interstate.  She tried to get roadside assistance, but was not receiving a signal to make the call.  After waiting a while, her son spotted a young man, wearing a Hawkeye shirt, coming towards their car.  Zach Twedt, a football player for the Iowa Hawkeyes, stopped and offered to help.  “I just wanted to appreciate him for being so kind and helping a stranger out, who needed to get her kids home safely.  He could’ve kept going, but he didn’t!  What a good dude!  May God reward him for his kindness today!”

 

Elizabeth Gilbert parked her car and forgot to roll up the window.  When she returned, there was a covering over the window with a note attached.  “Your window was down and the rain was coming.  I did my best to help you out.   xx – the green truck next to you.”  Elizabeth responded, “I will never know who did this for me.  But I love you.  Thank you for taking the time to do this kind act for a stranger.  I’m sitting here in my parked car, unable to drive because there are tears in my eyes.  Love is everywhere, even when you can’t see it.  The tenderest care will arrive when you least expect it, and from someone whose name you may never know.  Thank you, Green Truck.  Thank you.”

 

May we, too, not forget to do good.

 

And do not forget to do good and to share with others, for with such sacrifices God is pleased.

Hebrews 13:16

Rich in Good Deeds

 

Just be a good person.

Love who you can,

help where you can,

give what you can.

 

 

Cody Bret stopped to get gas at the local station.  A van rolled in beside him and the driver looked worried.  Bret asked if everything was okay and the man replied, “I’m not sure what’s wrong with my car.”  Bret asked him to pop the hood and he would see if he could help.  Due to the alternator malfunctioning, the battery was not being properly charged.  Cody found out that the man lived a mile down the road.  He charged the battery enough to get the man home, but told him he would need a new battery and alternator.  The man admitted that he didn’t have money for the parts and labor, at the moment.  Cody pulled out a business card and asked the man to call him when he made it home and he would come and fix the van.  The man questioned, “Why would you do that for someone you don’t even know?”  Bret replied, “because you’re never too important to be nice to people.”  

 

Jeremy and Chelsie King live in Germantown, Maryland.  Following an operation to remove a brain tumor, Jeremy was left with some physical difficulties.  Although he could walk, he had trouble balancing.  This dilemma posed a problem for safely carrying their soon to arrive child.  Chelsea mentioned the difficulty to Matt Zigler, a colleague at Burris School, and asked if they could possibly make something to attach to a wheelchair.  Zigler teaches the class, “Making for Social Good.”  The purpose of the course is to create products that make a positive change for society.  Since the students were beginning a new semester, it was great timing to look for a solution.  Needing to understand what was needed, they interviewed the family.  They also talked with local firemen, to find out how to properly secure a car seat.  After coming up with a plan, they borrowed a wheelchair from the nurse, made a trip to Home Depot, and started making and testing their design.  They added more weight than a child, when testing for safety and security.  The students created “WheeStroll”, which securely fastens to a wheelchair.  Jeremy was so pleased when he was able to take his son on a stroll.  Benjamin Gordon told NBC4, he was so excited “To see the smile on his face and to know that I was able to help give him that connection with his child that he wouldn’t be able to have because of his disabilities.”  In addition, the students won two international awards for the “WheeStroll.”

 

Whether it takes an hour or two or an entire semester, may we, too, find ways to be rich in good deeds.

 

Command them to do good, to be rich in good deeds, and to be generous and willing to share.

1 Timothy 6:18

Looking Out for Others

Shannon Hummel and her two daughters were running errands when their car had a flat tire.  Even though it was very windy and cold in Dubuque, Iowa, they decided to walk to Chick-fil-A to eat lunch while they waited for the tire to be fixed.  Bernie Tigges noticed how cold they were when they came in.  After Shannon and her girls finished their meal, Bernie offered to give them a ride.  Since it was busy for lunch, Hummel said they would walk back to the tire shop.  Bernie replied, “I probably don’t need to do it, but I want to do it.”  When she arrived home, Hummel sent the story to the Chick-fil-A corporate office.  Tigges’ co-workers said they weren’t surprised that she was commended.  “She is always going the extra mile.”

Monte Syrie is an English teacher at Cheney High School in Colbert, Washington, near Spokane.  Word got out that he let a student sleep during his class.  In response, he tweeted, “Meg fell asleep in class yesterday.  I let her.  I didn’t take it personally.  She has zero- hour math (at 7:10 am), farm-girl chores (starting at 5:00 am), state-qualifying 4x400 fatigue, adolescent angst, and various other things to deal with.  My class is only a part of her life, not her life.”  According to school assessments, Syrie realized that Meg had not used her time wisely to complete her essay, as did Meg.  In someone else’s class, Meg might have been written up, reprimanded, or given a zero on the assignment.  In order to help, Syrie knew he couldn’t change Meg’s schedule for math later in the day, feed her horses, or run her sprints, but he could give her a break, let her sleep, and show compassion.  Because of his kind gesture, Monte hopes other students will come to him when they need help.  He concluded, “Sometimes you just have to follow your instincts and do what’s best for your students.”  And Meg submitted her paper by 9:00 pm that night.    

 

The cashier had just finished ringing up the groceries when Betty Loos realized she had left her wallet at home in Emmy’s diaper bag.  Noticing the look of concern, her son asked what was wrong.  Betty explained the situation and the cashier offered to put the food in a cooler for her, while she went home to get her wallet.  She explained it was already late, she lived 2o minutes away, still needed to make dinner, and get the kids ready for bed.  Betty said it would be best to come back the next day.  With so much to do and her husband away on a business trip in Texas for two weeks, Loos was feeling a little overwhelmed.  That’s when Barry, who was next in line, asked, “How much is it?”  Betty refused to answer, but Barry continued to ask.  When told the amount, the kind gentleman handed his card to the cashier and paid for her groceries.  Barry explained, “I’ve been there before.  I understand.  My wife recently died and if she were here, she’d want me to help you.  So, I’m doing it for her, too.”

 

May we all be willing to look out for others and do the right things, to remind people there is still good in our world.

 

And as for you, brothers and sisters, never tire of doing what is good.

2 Thessalonians 3:13