by Lynn Maynard
Arizona, USA
On Thursday, November 19, 2009, I took a six-hour embroidery class. When the class ended at 3:30 p.m., I drove my car to a nearby fast-food drive-through. I then returned to the sewing shop for my next class, which would last four hours. I parked in front of the store and ate my meal.
As I ate, I noticed a man sitting on the curb. He was about six feet tall, with a thin build, weathered face, and a couple days’ beard growth. He reached into a backpack, pulled out a razor, and began to shave.
When finished, he proceeded to change his holey, gross-looking socks, which were caked with dried blood, and replaced them with a new pair. He seems to have pride in taking care of himself, I thought.
When I buy something at the drive-through, I throw my change in the pocket of the driver’s side door. Watching this man, I decided to hand him what was there: four bucks.
As I approached him, he said, “You have a nice car.”
“I’m still paying for it,” I said. “Here’s a few dollars. When you’re finished, maybe you can get something at the drive-in nearby. They have a nice selection on their dollar menu, and you can get refills.”
He thanked me, saying, “God bless you.”
I went back in for my next class. My class finished at 7 p.m. I loaded all my equipment into the back of my car. After 10 hours of classes, I was tired.
Then I saw a note on the windshield. I thought, “Don’t tell me someone scratched my car.”
I got in the car and turned on the light to read the note. To my surprise, it was a thank-you note for the $4.00. Dan told me that he is doing all right, but many homeless people need socks, so maybe I could carry a few pairs in my car.
He said that he gets gift cards for $10.00 and socks at the nearby church. In his note, Dan said, “If you want to, you could donate socks to the church. The homeless men would be very grateful.”
WOW!
It was only four bucks. Dan’s thank you gave me the better gift of feeling that I can make a difference with socks!
Dan taught me that even if you are homeless, you can make someone’s life better. Now I want to do more for our homeless friends in need. Thank you, Dan. Socks are on the way!
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That was a beautiful and inspiring story. You conveyed the deeper meaning so well. Thank you for sharing and for your kind heart.
I am a former professional ballet dancer and so I know the value of taking care of my feet. My father was a doctor and I grew up hearing his words: value your feet; take care of them and make sure they are always warm enough.”
Yes, our poor feet, often forgotten and abused.
What a lovely idea to donate socks to those who can’t afford to put them on their feet.