The rain had picked up quite considerably as we careful made our way down the highway. It was dark, the road barely visible, with cars still driving around us at 70 mph or plus. Suddenly, up ahead, in the far left lane, there was a three car pileup. The lead vehicle a black pickup; behind him a dark green colored sedan, followed by a mid-size car.

The pickup now four car lengths ahead, sat for a moment on the right shoulder, then sped off; the sedan spun out of control and came to rest on the left shoulder; the mid-size car spun around, faced sideways, backed up across four lanes of on-coming traffic and came to rest on the right shoulder.

We were in the middle lane, which afforded us the chance to get over to assist the driver now on the right shoulder.

As I made my way to the car, I prayed the driver would be okay. From the passenger side of the vehicle I peered inside the window. A young, very frighten girl, about eighteen let down the window.

“Are you okay?” I asked.

“I’m okay, I spun out and that car hit me,” she said pointing to the green car across the street.

I could see the other car; smoke billowed from under the hood, the driver standing next to it with the door open. It was dark, rainy, and heavy traffic; there was no way I could make it safely across the highway to check on the other driver.

“Is my car messed up?” asked the young girl.

I made a quick inspection of the vehicle, “Your front headlight is busted and you have two large dents in the back.”

“What should I do?” She asked.

“My wife already called the police, just wait here.”

“Are you about to leave?”

“No, we’ll stay with you until the police come.”

“Thank you,” she tried to smile.

She pulled up close to the back of our van.

I went back to my car and we waited.

Through my side-view mirror I could see the young girl on her phone.

Fifteen minutes later a light colored truck pulled up and parked on the left shoulder.

Slowly the young girl backed up and followed the light colored truck.

I looked at my wife, shook my head in disbelief and seconds after she pulled off, the police arrived. The officer asked were we involved in the accident.

“No, sir, a young girl in a dark mid-size vehicle, who just pulled off, following a light truck, the person across the highway, and a black pickup, who fled the scene were the only ones involved.”

The officer checked my van for damage, when he found none he told me I could go.

The inconveniences and the hassles are only a few reasons people don’t want to get involved. However, don’t let a few ingrateful, irresponsible individuals deter you from doing good. As long as we don’t put ourselves or others in danger, we should each help in our own way. The world needs it!

Tell us your Good Friday story. Let’s talk…

In an earlier post, I mentioned how much I love surprising people. For our Good Friday, that’s exactly what happened.

A recycling center near our home, recycles paint, oils, all kind of chemicals. These guys work very hard in a hot, reeking, and dangerous environment. And yet, they’re always pleasant when we drop off our recyclables.  

A month ago when we dropped off some old paint and light bulbs, I had a light bulb moment myself. I went to that recycle center; a man approaches my window, with clipboard in hand.

“Afternoon sir, just pop the trunk and fill out the top portion.”

“You better check to see if you take all stuff I brought in.”

“If it came from your residence, and it’s chemicals, we take it,” he explained.

“Can you check, to make sure?”

“Yes sir.”

When he opened the rear door to our mini-van, I could see him in the rear-view mirror. He stood puzzled.

“Sir, I don’t understand,” he stood there staring down at the pizzas and sodas. He held his hands up, as if to ask, “What gives?”

“I wanted to buy you guys lunch today.”

A huge smile swept across his face.

Ah, the element of surprise.

He called over some other guys; they too were shocked.

Each man took off his glove and shook my hand and said “Thank you, thank you.”

One asked, “Why did you do this?”

“I wanted to show my appreciation for all the hard work you men do. Your contributions mean a lot to me and this community.”

As I drove out of the facility the men were smiling as they carried their lunch to the break room. A few miles down the road, the image of that moment burned in my mind. I could still see their surprise faces; truly, those are the moments I live for.

Tell us your Good Friday moment in the comments below!

This post is by no means a comparison to this impactful clip, but the line “I could have done more” is a strong reminder how we each can make a difference.

For our Good Friday, I wanted to honor the elderly. I appreciate that within them is so much of our history, wisdom, and their desire to help. My initial plan was to visit a senior citizen home in our neighborhood.

As you know, the best laid plans sometimes change.

Earlier in the week, my daughter and I visited our local video store. As I sat in the car, waiting for her return, an old, beat-up van pulled in next to me.

An older woman and two teenage girls got out of the van. As the woman walked slowly to my car, I could see her puffy, red eyes; it was obvious she had been crying.

“Sir”, she began, “we haven’t eaten in two days. Can you please help us?”

I sat stunned. “Ma’am, I just gave my daughter my last ten dollars. Whatever change she brings back, you are more than welcome to it.”

When my daughter returned, I quickly gave the woman the change: $3.54.

My heart churned. I felt so helpless. “I’m sorry, I wish I had more.”

She took the money from my hand. “Thank you, thank you,” she repeated.

The woman and her daughters returned to their van. My daughter turned to me. “Daddy, I have a few dollars at home. We can go get it and give it to her before she leaves.”

We raced home. After my wife and son heard about what happened, we rushed back to the video store, hoping to buy them groceries. But the woman was gone. We drove around for an hour trying to find them; we never did.

I felt horrible. Why when moments like this crop up I seem to always be out of pocket? My wife looked over at me. “Don’t beat yourself up; you did the best you could.”

I know she was right. I just wanted to do more.

We all can do more.

Tell us your Good Friday story.

 

No one, other than those brave young soldiers and their families will ever truly know the nightmarish hell of war. We owe a debt to them that can never be repaid. Every U.S. citizen has their luxuries today because these men have answered their call to duty.

For my Good Friday, I called the Veterans of Foreign Wars Post and asked if they would accept our offer to buy lunch for today. “Yes,” came a voice over the phone, “we’ll be honored.”  I wanted to tell each man face to face how much I appreciate their service to our country.

When we arrived at the post, the same woman I had spoken to earlier greeted us. “I told them you were coming.” She introduced us to a group of about seven men at a poker table.

“Hello, my named is Paul. My family and I wanted to buy you lunch today. We just wanted to say thank you all for your service to our country.”

Each man stood up without hesitation and shook our hands. I struggled to fight back tears; they were so gracious. It was like shaking hands with celebrities. To me, they are more important than any superstar I could ever meet.

 

 

 

 

 

My wife is my best friend. She deserves more than I, or this life could ever offer. And yet, she fell in love with me.  I’ll never understand how a guy like me wound up with an angel like her. All I can say is THANK YOU LORD! And thank you my one and only!

A few days ago, I hurried out to our backyard and cut some roses she wanted. Sent the kids off to school, started her bath, and made breakfast. Her meal included hash browns, her favorite.

For the rest of the day, whatever my angel wanted or needed, I was there at her beckoning call.

Tell Cop A Squat about your Good Friday!

Happy Easter everyone!

Let’s us give thanks to the Lord for this wonderful gift He has given us today.

Take care and be safe.

Hello, everyone. I hope today you are enjoying our second Good Friday on this Good Friday.  Sadly, for many in Texas, Tuesday’s storm has taken a toll on many people, especially those living in Arlington, Kennedale, Lancaster, and Forney, the hardest hit of the areas. 

So, for our Good Friday, I loaded up the family and headed for Texas to do whatever we could to help.  When we got there, we found the devastated areas blocked and guarded by local police. Not even the residents in those spots were allowed back in until Wednesday, with temporary passes.  Permanent passes were granted on Thursday to those residents. 

We wanted to help, even though it seemed like we wouldn’t get the chance. So, we went shopping and bought food and toiletries for the nearest shelter, promising to return with more.

Please say a prayer for these storm victims-they absolutely need it. 

I try to listen to what people don’t say versus what they do say.

Example: my doctor’s secretary spent quite a bit of time reasoning with my insurance provider on my behalf. She finally she got them to listen.

I told her how grateful I was. “Just doing my job,” she said with a tired smile.

I could see she needed a much needed respite.

So, after talking with my wife, we sent her and her husband on a mini vacation in town.

When I gave her the hotel/dinner package her face brightened and she said, “Thank you, how did you know? My husband and I have been thinking about going there for a long time.”

I am not a rich man, but we had a few coins and we thought it would be a good idea to bring a smile to someone’s face, which is one of the many reason I live for.

Just Sayin.’

Tell us your good Friday story in the comments below!