Angels around us

Sorry, I published this earlier today, then edited it and forgot to republish... so here it sits.  GRRR.

Have you seen this photo?  It's gone viral (that means shared/spreading rapidly) on Facebook and other places on the internet.

Jennifer Foster, of Florence, Arizona, snapped the photo while visiting New York City earlier this month when she saw a man without shoes asking for change near Times Square.

"Right when I was about to approach," Foster recalls, "one of [the NYPD] officers came up behind him. The officer said, 'I have these size 12 boots for you, they are all-weather. Let's put them on and take care of you.' The officer squatted down on the ground and proceeded to put socks and the new boots on this man."

What a touching story!  We so often see the media portray police in a negative light. This story is a welcomed example of what we ALL should be doing for those in need.

The officer in this photo is Lawrence DePrimo. If the photo and story keeps being shared on Facebook, there will soon be millions of people wanting to give me an "atta-boy" for his selfless act of kindness.

"Angels are everywhere," wrote Helen Hoglund, adding her comment to the posting. "We just have to see!!"

BareNakedBill.blogspot.com

Pay It Forward

There was an elderly woman in front of me as I was walking up to the entrance doors at Speedway on Sunday. She was moving slowly, using a four-pronged cane and carrying a homemade cup carrier held together with duct tape.

She smiled and said, "Nice Truck," to a man sitting in a pickup with bright paint and fancy pinstripes.

As she opened the door, she saw me and offered to hold the door.

"Thanks. After you," I replied.

She walked in ahead of me and then turned, with a smile on her face and asked, "Did you see that HOT truck out there?"

"I did.  It's pretty fancy."  I wanted to laugh at her calling it hot.  What a sweet, happy woman.

She walked over to the cappuccino machine as I grabbed my customary iced tea. She carefully place one, then two large 'caps' into her homemade carrier -- a necessity for her since she walked with the cane.

I was at the register while she was putting on the lids, and I told the clerk I wanted to pay for the woman's beverages.

The clerk said, "That's nice."  I told her the woman seemed like a very nice lady.

As I left the store, I saw a van parked in the handicapped space. There was an elderly man in the passenger seat.  Probably her husband.  She was in the store, on a sunny Sunday afternoon, buying a sweet drink to share with her spouse.

I smiled knowing she had no idea who I was or why I paid for her cappuccinos. I felt warm hoping she'd be flattered. It made my day to practice random kindness.

Pay it forward... it feels wonderful!