I love stories about good people doing good things. We don’t hear enough of them these days. And when we do, they are typically about those who “have” doing something good for those who “have not.”
This past week during a cold front that paralyzed Texas and walloped at least 15 other states with record-breaking temperatures came a story from the small town of Lascassas, Tennessee where snow and ice blanketed everything as temperatures dropped into the teens and the wind chill factor sunk the temperatures to below zero.
It’s the story of an unlikely, unexpected acquaintance between two strangers, a “have” and a “have not,” in a laundromat late on a cold and stormy winter night. It’s a story that illustrates what happens when you step outside your comfort zone, tell the truth and allow others to contribute to you. It’s a story about the perfection of kindness, the dignity of grace and how a little benevolence and courtesy can make a powerful difference no matter how much you have or don’t have.
It’s a simple story really, no complex plot or dramatic story line yet it holds powerful lessons. It’s not a story you’ll hear on the news and it’s not my story. It’s my dear friend Shirlee Burch Stevens’ story and with her permission I share it (a bit edited) here.
Yep, had to make my way to a laundromat last night to wash and dry horse blankets. Our new horse, Garth, wears a huge size and his and Aurora’s were covered with sleet and rain.
At first, I was pretty frightened because I was the only one who drove there and there were homeless guys in there trying to keep warm. Garth’s blanket was in a washing machine that refused to close properly but also was locked. I could not get it out. I was getting a bit panicked.
One of the homeless men who was not strung out and seemed very kindly offered to help. He asked if I had a screwdriver and sure enough, I found a big one in my car. (I don’t remember that being there.) He got the washer open and asked if I knew where the First Baptist Church was, that they had a shelter. He had walked and walked the night before and couldn’t find it. It was 32 degrees outside sleeting and the temperature starting to drop into the teens. I found the shelter on my phone and noticed that they were full and had a waiting list.
I asked if he would mind watching my things while I got dinner, and asked if I could bring him anything. He said that would be wonderful. Bought some things at Walmart, nothing else was open.
When I came back, he was the only homeless person still there. He said the rest had gone to camp but he was going to take his chances sleeping in the laundromat.
We shared dinner and talked about his life. He wanted to know about the horses and marveled at their photos. He said he had gotten to ride English long ago and he knew by looking that two of the horses’ pictures that they were Quarter horses.
He was only 40-years-old and had an intense life story. He converted to Christianity after waking up in a Los Angeles hospital with a stroke after too much drug use. He was 100-percent disabled but improving and had the best outlook on life and more hope than anyone I’ve talked with in a long time.
He was so observant of the other homeless men who happened in and said they were surrounded by and being attacked by their “demons.”
I just saw two guys strung out on drugs talking gibberish into space. I said so and he said, “You have to look into their eyes.” I explained I was afraid to. He understood. There was no judgment.
He was clearly drug-free and thanked me for the food, and having dinner with him, and helped me carry the horse blankets to the car. He asked if I would write down his track phone number and call if I ever needed help at the ranch. I did.
I drove slowly home in the ice and snow thinking about what a different turn my life took. Were it not for the massive storm I would have had dinner in Hawaii last night with my brother, Archie. Instead, my flight never left Nashville and I shared dinner in a dirty, but warm laundromat with a kind man who offered his hand sanitizer and disinfectant wipes and got a chair for me so we could share dinner.
What a difference Mother Nature can make in our lives. His final remarks stayed with me, “it was so nice to have something to eat besides peanut butter and oatmeal.” Everything he had to say was filled with gratitude. I am pretty sure he was my guardian angel sent to protect me and assist me with what I could not do on my own and delivering a “living” sermon, not just words. Vey impactful. And, I will never forget.
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February 20, 2021 at 06:33PM
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A good story about good people | Off the Record - Chico Enterprise-Record
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