Good Things
GOOD THINGS
About a year ago, a couple with three children moved
into the
apartment next door to me.
I never hear any noise from the children, but the parents were
always
yelling at the kids, not in a constructive tone, but more on the
threatening
side. When I am in my bathroom it is quite loud.
We met often in the hallway when we were coming or going. I always
spoke, but the only answer I ever got was a hello from the four
year old girl.
I usually go out for breakfast and one day when I retuned they
were
just coming from their apartment and the little girl was holding
the door
open for the others. I remained in the car doing unnecessary
things because
I wasn't too eager to be snubbed. The parents were telling her
to hurry and
get in the car (they were parked next to me). I looked up and
saw the
little girl was still holding the door open, waiting for me.
I am handicapped to the point that I can't hurry at anything,
but I
hurried as much as I could and thanked her. She was smiling from
ear toear.
That afternoon I was at the K-Mart and I saw a white teddy bear.
I
thought of the little girl and said to myself, "I bet she
would like that"
so I bought it.
I forgot to tell you how much I was touched by her act of kindness.
I wrote a note saying how much her act of kindness had touched
a soft spot
in an old man's heart and I didn't even know her name.
The next day there was a knock on the door and it was the little
girl
and her father. She was so proud of her bear and thanked me like
I had
never been thanked before. Then I noticed her mother and the
other children
were there in the hall too. The mother and father both thanked
me.
Now when we meet in the hall we all speak, and in a friendly manner
I
might add. As time passes, I don't hear that yelling as often.
In fact,
hardly at all.
Last night we had about 4 inches of snow. I looked out at my
car and
wondered how I was going to keep my doctor's appointment because
I can only
exert myself just so long and then rest for a while. I didn't
have that
much time. The temperature was zero, so I bundled up and went
out to remove
the snow.
When I opened the outside door, there was my car with all the
snow
removed. I can't express how I felt at that moment. The man
next door was
the only person I knew in the whole building, so when I saw him
the next
day, I asked him if he was the good guy that removed my snow.
He said NO.
He wanted to but his wife said she wanted to do it.
Isn't it amazing how the small kind act of a 4 year old girl can
change so many things for the better?
My guardian angel says that more good things come from small acts.
