Blackwater
12-26-2016, 02:47 PM
It's easy to get "in the spirit" at Christmas time, to love our fellow man, and try to understand them rather than just putting them down for their condition of being. It's much harder to sustain that outlook and attitude for a full year. During the quiet times this Christmas, I thought about my family and how blessed I've been, and remembered a little story about my son that is one of the things that makes me so proud of him, and so grateful for him. I thought I'd relate it here, since it seemed to me to represent "Christmas all year long."
He was in college, and realized he wasn't really learning anything for all the money it was costing him. He'd earned a lot of his tuition, etc. by becoming a real "wheeler dealer," buying really great deals out of the local sales papers, and fixing them up a little, and cleaning them well, and reselling for a profit. He bought and sold a lot of vehicles, and seemed to have a "new" one every week. And he made GOOD money on them, too, just by being judicious and always looking for a way to make some money on each deal. Some he did better on than others, but he never lost money. He wanted to be independent, and went to the bank for short term loans to finance many of them. I had to cosign for him the first few times, but after that, at a very young age, he got the loans on his own merits. Always a sign of a good man!
Well, with a little help from his papa, he finally decided he wanted to build his own convenience store. He didn't aim for anything grandiose, and didn't try to "get rich overnight," but settled into a progressive process of making some money so he could be independent. That streak runs strong in this family. And he opened it just after his 25th birthday, having quit college for more satisfying and profitable pursuits. And it took off like a rocket! He found himself soon making good money, enough that he married. She was a secretary at the bank when they met, and interestingly, both he and she went home after that meeting and said, "I think I found the one I'm going to marry today!" And he proposed to her on stage at a new year's eve shindig in Savannah. Quite the romantic for a guy who's never shown much of a penchant in that direction! Then they had a son in a few years, and she and the son were fixtures at the store after she got off work. At age 3, my grandson was taking in cash and running the cash register, and loving every minute of it.
So things were really going great for them. And one day, a young, very clean cut black man stopped in at the store, and told my son he was on his way to Savannah. He'd just graduated college, and was on his way to apply for a job he really wanted, and had run out of gas in his aunt's car. He asked David if he could possibly give him enough gas to get to Savannah to the job interview, and said he promised to repay him if he could just see his way clear to do this. Since he owned the place, he could do whatever he wanted to. And by this time, he was VERY familiar with cons who only wanted to give him a sob story and then would never return again. And in spite of all that, he just looked the young man over, and sensed a sincerity in him he didn't usually see in the cons he'd had so much experience with. He questioned him a little, and upon being satisfied that the young man may indeed be telling him the truth, he just shrugged, and decided to fill up the young man's tank with gas. And before he left, he asked him if he had any money to eat with when he got to Savannah, and he embarassedly said he'd spent his last money to get as far as he'd gotten already. Then David gave him $20 out of his pocket to eat on and take care of anything he might need on the way and on the return. The young man's eyes nearly teared up, and he humbly took the $20 and thanked David, and left for the job interview.
About 2 months later, I was at the store, and he was sorting through his mail for that day. He opened a letter and took it out and was reading it, and a strange smile came across his face. I asked him what he was reading, and he related the story to me. It was a letter from that young black man, thanking him for trusting him, and making it possible for him to get to the job interview, and the $20 he'd given him. In the letter was a $100 bill! The man said it was from his first check. He'd gotten the job, and just wanted to repay him for his kindness and respect, and for "saving his life." My son just sat looking at the letter and the $100 bill. In a business like his, $100 here or there is really no big deal, but the sentiment, and the knowledge that he'd really made a difference in the young man's life just filled him with both surprise and a real respect for what people CAN be when simply given a chance.
So this is just one lesson for all of us. "Christmas all year long" is not just a string of meaningless words. It CAN be real, if we just let it. Yes, we DO have to be wise in who we trust, and why, but sometimes, we CAN make a big difference to people in need. And if we get "burned" now and then, we can always know that WE did OUR part. Whethere THEY do THEIRS is another question entirely!
So keep the spirit we have at this time of year. It matters, if we just let it. Don't be a sap, but be wise, and sometimes, ya' just gotta' take a chance if it seems to be legitimate. Cynicism has ruled this land long enough! It's time we Christians, in particular, ditched some of our cynicism and distrust, at the very least when people are in real need, and seem to be honest. It's not the words on their lips that matter. It's the look on their faces and in their eyes, and in their manners. And when you come across someone in need, qualify them, and then decide, and don't be afraid to take a little risk now and then. You'll be amazed when it works out, and if it doesn't, you at least know you did your part.
Merry Christmas folks, all year long!
He was in college, and realized he wasn't really learning anything for all the money it was costing him. He'd earned a lot of his tuition, etc. by becoming a real "wheeler dealer," buying really great deals out of the local sales papers, and fixing them up a little, and cleaning them well, and reselling for a profit. He bought and sold a lot of vehicles, and seemed to have a "new" one every week. And he made GOOD money on them, too, just by being judicious and always looking for a way to make some money on each deal. Some he did better on than others, but he never lost money. He wanted to be independent, and went to the bank for short term loans to finance many of them. I had to cosign for him the first few times, but after that, at a very young age, he got the loans on his own merits. Always a sign of a good man!
Well, with a little help from his papa, he finally decided he wanted to build his own convenience store. He didn't aim for anything grandiose, and didn't try to "get rich overnight," but settled into a progressive process of making some money so he could be independent. That streak runs strong in this family. And he opened it just after his 25th birthday, having quit college for more satisfying and profitable pursuits. And it took off like a rocket! He found himself soon making good money, enough that he married. She was a secretary at the bank when they met, and interestingly, both he and she went home after that meeting and said, "I think I found the one I'm going to marry today!" And he proposed to her on stage at a new year's eve shindig in Savannah. Quite the romantic for a guy who's never shown much of a penchant in that direction! Then they had a son in a few years, and she and the son were fixtures at the store after she got off work. At age 3, my grandson was taking in cash and running the cash register, and loving every minute of it.
So things were really going great for them. And one day, a young, very clean cut black man stopped in at the store, and told my son he was on his way to Savannah. He'd just graduated college, and was on his way to apply for a job he really wanted, and had run out of gas in his aunt's car. He asked David if he could possibly give him enough gas to get to Savannah to the job interview, and said he promised to repay him if he could just see his way clear to do this. Since he owned the place, he could do whatever he wanted to. And by this time, he was VERY familiar with cons who only wanted to give him a sob story and then would never return again. And in spite of all that, he just looked the young man over, and sensed a sincerity in him he didn't usually see in the cons he'd had so much experience with. He questioned him a little, and upon being satisfied that the young man may indeed be telling him the truth, he just shrugged, and decided to fill up the young man's tank with gas. And before he left, he asked him if he had any money to eat with when he got to Savannah, and he embarassedly said he'd spent his last money to get as far as he'd gotten already. Then David gave him $20 out of his pocket to eat on and take care of anything he might need on the way and on the return. The young man's eyes nearly teared up, and he humbly took the $20 and thanked David, and left for the job interview.
About 2 months later, I was at the store, and he was sorting through his mail for that day. He opened a letter and took it out and was reading it, and a strange smile came across his face. I asked him what he was reading, and he related the story to me. It was a letter from that young black man, thanking him for trusting him, and making it possible for him to get to the job interview, and the $20 he'd given him. In the letter was a $100 bill! The man said it was from his first check. He'd gotten the job, and just wanted to repay him for his kindness and respect, and for "saving his life." My son just sat looking at the letter and the $100 bill. In a business like his, $100 here or there is really no big deal, but the sentiment, and the knowledge that he'd really made a difference in the young man's life just filled him with both surprise and a real respect for what people CAN be when simply given a chance.
So this is just one lesson for all of us. "Christmas all year long" is not just a string of meaningless words. It CAN be real, if we just let it. Yes, we DO have to be wise in who we trust, and why, but sometimes, we CAN make a big difference to people in need. And if we get "burned" now and then, we can always know that WE did OUR part. Whethere THEY do THEIRS is another question entirely!
So keep the spirit we have at this time of year. It matters, if we just let it. Don't be a sap, but be wise, and sometimes, ya' just gotta' take a chance if it seems to be legitimate. Cynicism has ruled this land long enough! It's time we Christians, in particular, ditched some of our cynicism and distrust, at the very least when people are in real need, and seem to be honest. It's not the words on their lips that matter. It's the look on their faces and in their eyes, and in their manners. And when you come across someone in need, qualify them, and then decide, and don't be afraid to take a little risk now and then. You'll be amazed when it works out, and if it doesn't, you at least know you did your part.
Merry Christmas folks, all year long!