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To the Messenger:
Sometimes we simply don’t see the
whole picture, but later wish we had paid more attention. Such was the
case last Monday during the rainstorm.
I was in the local bank
longer than I had anticipated. As I was ready to leave, huge drops of
rain with scattered little balls of ice pelted the pavement. No way
could I get to my car without being soaked.
A young man wearing a
hooded sweater sprinted to his car. He sat for a while; his hands
seemed occupied. The rain slacked a bit. He got out of his car, opened
the trunk and took out an umbrella. I thought, “Oh, dear. His trunk
is going to be very wet. He must have forgotten something.”
He
came to the door where I was standing, stepped back with the open
umbrella, and waited for me to exit. “No, I’ll just wait,” I said. He
hesitated, closed the door, put the umbrella back in the trunk, got in
his car and left. Unbelievable. This young man had ventured through
the rain to shelter me to my car, and I turned him down. I am so sorry
that I deprived him of sharing a kindness.
I wasn’t seeing the
whole picture. We are encouraged to do good deeds and help others. It
is also important to be gracious and accept courtesy and appreciation
from others. I do not know the name of the man in the navy hoodie and
red car, but I’ll never forget him.
Name withheld by request
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