| Little Kindnesses |
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Heart! ~ If you are not a subscriber and this has been passed on to you, join us by sending a blank e-mail to four_ears @ msn.com (remove spaces) with "subscribe" in the subject line. And get the love direct! Tour our web site: http://www.geocities.com/jenniferioliver2001 Tour our archives: http://geocities.com/jenniferioliver2001/Archives.htm ________________________________________________________ "Most of the shadows of this life are caused by standing in one's own sunshine." - Ralph Waldo Emerson ______________________________________ LITTLE KINDNESSES by Beth Shaw The pain was a dull ache that throbbed in my lower back. I was standing in front of the yawning trunk of my old Buick. I had just finished grocery shopping, and in the bottom of the steel cart were three plastic bags of perishables and some toiletries. They might as well have been boulders. In my sixth month, just as it had for the past two pregnancies, routine shopping had become a marathon. I sighed, drew in a deep breath, exhaled sharply, and with one hand splayed across my large abdomen, I rubbed my lower back to no avail. He appeared out of nowhere. Silently he removed the bags from the cart and placed them gently in the trunk of my car. "Is that all you have?" he asked. My mouth fell open. He must have been in his sixties, perhaps a grandfather himself. "N-no, that's fine," I stuttered. "Thank you so much." He smiled warmly at me, shut the trunk lid, and said, "Good evening then!" Dumbfounded, I watched him as he parked the cart in the corral. Then he was gone. As soon as I slid into the driver's seat, I slammed the door shut and started bawling. Just one simple act of kindness. Enough to nourish my outlook on life. It's been said that when a terrible event happens to us, a chemical reaction is triggered in our brains, forever marking the spot in our memory. That is why we tend to vividly remember the bad times more than the good. To counteract this, I dwell on acts of kindness as shown above, the little ones that bubble up like champagne. They are, to me, the epitome of what's important in life. Another act of kindness occurred when my husband, Mark, was stranded on a fairly busy thoroughfare. He raised the hood as a distress signal then proceeded to wait for over an hour with a baby in a carrier and two small boys. He didn't have the luxury of a mobile phone, and there were no businesses or homes nearby. Everyone whizzed by, barely glancing at the desperation of his situation. Finally a utility truck pulled over. Mark couldn't believe his eyes. The driver was the same man who read our electric meter at home, his face disfigured by a house fire long ago. He had recognized Mark. Whenever the man came out to our house, Mark would take the time to chat with him. Our meter man had saved the day. "Mom!" Bobby, our four-year-old, shrieked one day. He stomped up the stairs with his thumb stuck out and tears streaming down his face. A fat, thorny sticker was embedded in his thumb. "David was crying because he had a sticker on his finger," he explained through hiccupping sobs. "So I took it off of him, and now it's stuck to me!" See what I mean? Bookmark those little kindnesses in your life. You'll be glad you did. Beth Shaw bamboohead1 @ hotmail.com Copyright © 2002 by Beth Shaw. All rights reserved. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ About the author: As a native Texan, mother of three little joys, wife of best friend, I couldn't ask for more! _________________________________________________________ QUOTE FROM LESSER KNOWN FOLKS When planning for a weekend trip to Huntsville recently, my granddaughter, Sara, decided she would bring her friend, Cassy. Prior to the trip, Cassy expressed a concern in sharing the same hotel room with me. She asked Sara if I smelled like an old person. Sara said no, Grandma does not smell and is cool. Then Cassy asked if I could move. Sara said, Grandma is mobile, does not smell, and is really cool. My daughter, Mary, overhearing their conversation, could hardly contain herself. - Barbara Betcher _________________________________________________________ ON THE HOMEFRONT HAPPY BIRTHDAY to our beautiful, energetic niece, Bradie Hadfield! Our little trick-or-treaters (in descending order) - a giraffe, knight, werewolf, and pumpkin - bagged us a serious collection of candy on Halloween night. That's the prize for fighting the crowds the night before, trying to find the perfect costume at the last minute for little boys whose minds could not be made up. I've learned my lesson, folks. I've been out sick from work, having caught the viral infection from Ethan, Matthew, and Madison. Stephen disappeared to Dallas over the weekend to help out a friend. Do you know how hard it is to hold the fort down while medicated? The boys were just great sports though, tending to "sick Mommy." Ethan scrubbed the kitchen floor for the heck of it and drew a "wet floor" warning sign on a folded paper plate. Cody took out the trash and cleaned up the front yard. Matthew's job was hugging me and keeping his bed made. And Madison, our sweet baby girl, kept feeling my forehead for the ever-present fever and rubbing my arm. I asked for your prayers for a neighbor boy named T.J., who suffered burns on his face, arms, fingers, and torso. All I can say is that your prayers worked wonders. Our boys, armed with homemade get-well cards and a gift, paid T.J. a visit. He walked shyly out of the kitchen, holding a printout of a picture of himself in front of his face. Too self-conscious to face the boys, he stayed hidden behind the picture, which showed the severity of his burns. "The picture," his father explained to me, "is to show how much progress he's made. Now his cheeks have brand-new skin." Refusing to drop the "mask" from his face, the boys handed T.J. their get-well cards of him standing under rainbows and playing tag with them. T.J. let the "mask" slip, and I said, "T.J., you look wonderful! What a miracle you are!" He smiled broadly and disappeared into his bedroom with his cards and gift. And just today, meeting the boys at the bus stop, T.J. stepped off the bus, looking like his old self! No signs of scarring or bandages. Just a big grin on his face. Thanks to all for your prayers for this sweet little boy. ______________________________________ FROM OUR FRIENDLY E-MAIL CARRIER In regards to "A Mother's Love" (http://geocities.com/jenniferioliver2001/102902.htm) What a beautiful story!!!! : ) - NEHoran @ aol.com Dear Jennifer, your story was lovely. Doris Morgan is indeed a special lady. I think God must have known your family would love her as if she was a blood relative. I love to read about your dear family. I'm so sorry about the flu bug being passed around. Such misery. I hope you don't end up having it too. I'll pray for little TJ. - Hugs, Pat I really enjoyed the story about Miss Doris--the love between your two families, the sharing, and all the lovely scenes and events. Blessings, meg Dear Jennifer, I just have to tell you again how much I enjoy your stories and how much I enjoy Stephen, Madison, Cody, Ethan and Matthew. - Freda _________________________________________________________ LOVE, JENNIFER I. OLIVER AND FAMILY four_ears @ msn.com "To live that in thy last long sleep, Smiles my be thine wile all around thee weep." - Nellie L. Wallace, June 24, 1873 _________________________________________________________ This E-mail may be forwarded in its entirety, but first ask the writer for permission before forwarding. Thank you for doing the decent thing! Ü ________________________________________________________ SUBMIT STORY, QUOTE, OR FAMILY LOVE MOMENT: http://www.geocities.com/jenniferioliver2001/submission.htm FEEDBACK: four_ears @ msn.com ________________________________________________________ |
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