You’ve probably read the story or seen it on TV, but I can’t stop thinking about it: Anonymous donors are showing up at stores across the country to pay the layaway accounts of strangers.
The Associated Press story I read put it this way:
A young father was standing in line at a Kmart layaway counter in Omaha, Neb., wearing dirty clothes and worn-out boots. With him were three small children.
He asked to pay something on his bill because he knew he wouldn’t be able to afford it all before Christmas. Then a mysterious woman stepped up to the counter.
“She told him, ‘No, I’m paying for it,’ ” recalled Edna Deppe, assistant manager at the store in Indianapolis. “He just stood there and looked at her and then looked at me and asked if it was a joke. I told him it wasn’t, and that she was going to pay for him. And he just busted out in tears.”
Has anyone heard a better story this holiday season?
It’s not that we’re an uncaring country. After all, many of us contribute to food and toy drives, and donate our time and talent to non-profit organizations. But that’s mostly behind-the-scenes. The people showing up at layaway counters appear to be lending their helping hand to the person standing next to them.
One woman in Indianapolis paid for layaway gifts for as many as 50 people – and then on her way out of the store proceeded to hand out $50 bills and pay for two carts of toys for a woman in line at the cash register.
Most of us aren’t able to step up to that large a plate, but just doing something nice and helpful for another can make a real difference.
Got some money in your pocket that you can live without? Look around. There’s someone right here in our community who could use your helping hand.
Let there be lights
If you recall last week’s column, you know of my frustration with trying to attach Christmas lights to the edge of my flat-roof house. Fortunately, two residents emailed me to offer advice.
Tim Beard suggested a way to sort of modify those gutter clips you see in stores for Christmas lights. His gutter is a bit different than mine, but I appreciated his help.
Perhaps better was the short note from Mary McLoone who said “we too are cursed with a flat roof. I’ve decided to forget decorating the house and concentrate on the beautiful Japanese maple and evergreens in the front yard. It’s easier to put up and take down!”
I showed Mary’s note to my wife, but I’m not sure I can get out of my yearly project that easily.
I did get lights up. It’s just took another trip to the store to buy more strings of lights to replace those I had with broken plastic clips. And, yes, I broke more clips in trying to put them up.
