Random Acts of Kindness

I turned on my computer the other day and an apparition of haunting beauty in a crumpled artistic drawing of a young child filled the screen. What was this? It floated through my memory in its familiarity, like wisps of a dream I could not quite re-capture. The message beneath it read, "I found this behind a drawer of the built-in cabinets in the hall. I thought it might be one of your children."

It was from the current owner of the house we had lived in for 20 years in Mississippi and from which we had moved some 18 years ago. "It is dated 1971," the note went on, giving the artist's name. It looked remarkably like our son Trevor at age two, with a mop of tousled hair (had it been in color instead of black-and-white I would have had no trouble recognizing it as red) in a play suit that looked like one I remembered that his brother had outgrown.

I wrote back that I would love to have it, for I was having faint recollections of two such sketches, one being of 4-year-old Greg as well. But they had disappeared "like wineskins in the smoke" from my memory and from among my possessions. I gave my address, and the thoughtful lady said she would be glad to send it. What a considerate act of kindness! And so unexpected!

A few days ago my daughter Julie in Tennesee said at the end of a phone conversation, "Oh, we sent you and Dad a love offering. You should get it by tomorrow." What? How nice! When the mail came that afternoon there was her envelope, addressed in pencil in her familiar hand! I turned it over and couldn't believe my eyes. It was not sealed! The thin strip of wax paper film over the glue had not even been removed.

I despaired that there would be anything inside and found a neatly folded sheet of paper. In suspense, I unfolded it to see two $20 bills. She had sent cash in an unsealed envelope! I called her to confirm the amount, and nothing was missing! We must have honest postal workers or God just shielded the oversight from their eyes!

When we had family over for July 4th, my daughter-in-law was taking salad makings from the fridge and I mentioned that it wasn't cooling properly. "Our milk sours and our produce spoils," I said, guiding her to the freshest tomatoes. A couple of days later, our son calls and says, "I ordered you a new refrigerator. It will be here Tuesday." What a wonderful surprise!

We picked it up from Sears in Howard's truck, and our grandson helped us move the old appliance out. He had to leave for a few minutes, and my impatient husband began loading the old refrigerator on the dolley to get it to the garage. I tried to help him, and at last we got it down our sloped yard to the driveway.

We had collapsed to rest when there was a knock at the door. Two shirtless young men stood there. "Do you need help with your refrigerator? We noticed you struggling with it from across the street!" We gladly accepted, and by that time Adam had come back, so with all that youthful strength our new refrigerator was unloaded and soon installed!

Thank God for all the kind, wonderful people in the world!