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This year, a person, very near and dear to my heart, defended this nation in Iraq- my precious, baby cousin, Sam. (Okay, so he’s 27 years old, but he’ll always be little to me.) For 7 long months, my husband and I prayed for him, along with countless others. We prayed for his safety, we prayed for his spirits, and we prayed for his sweet wife, Leigh, as she waited anxiously for his return.

As a teacher, I often talk with my students about the brave men and women who protect us everyday, and I listen to the students talk about these soldiers. Children are not concerned with the politics going on behind the war. What they do know is that these people are their heroes. Forget Batman or Superman or Spiderman. Place a soldier in their presence and for a few short seconds, they are speechless. Give them time to make a card to send to a soldier and they will not tell them their opinion on whether or not they support the cause. But what they will do is write very largely in their CRAYOLA marker, “Thank You!”

Many times I have heard, and even said myself, “You can learn a lot from children.” That statement could not be more true. Currently, their is a video circulating through email courtesy of “The Gratitude Campaign.”

Please visit

http://www.gratitudecampaign.org/fullmovie.php

and see what a simple sign can do for the random soldier you pass on the street.

My cousin returned, physically unharmed in September. I will have the pleasure and joy to see him at Christmas, and I will be telling him, “Thank you!”

<><LinZ

Usually in the TFTD blogs I share with you some of the outrageous and inexplicable behavior of some Starbuck’s drivethru patrons. Usually this behavior is not very positive. However, in this segment, I am honored to share some behavior that was no less than inspirational and, somewhat contagious.

A Single Act of Kindness
I hate to say this but, it would seem that the holidays have not brought out the best in many people. On the contrary, it would seem that the lines, traffic and gift buying has produced some rather unfriendly drivethru patrons. However, this is not so of everyone. Perhaps you have seen that insurance commercial in which a person witnesses another’s selfless act of kindness and is then inspire to be kind to someone else. Then another person witnesses that act of kindness and in inspired and so on and so on. Well, I was witness to a real life example of this.

Being the Christmas season, the drivethru has remained quite busy. Even on a weeknight, vacancy at the drive up window is rare. Last Monday night there was a line of cars ordering tasty hot beverages. After taking one man’s payment and delivering the change he asked, “What is the total of the order of the person behind me?” We told him the total and he paid for her order as well. We asked if he knew her but he said he didn’t, he just felt like being anonymously generous. When the lady got to the window we told her about the beneficent stranger and she was taken aback. After considering this surprise gift, she asked, “How much does the guy behind me owe?” After finding out, she immediately paid for the next patron’s order. This pattern continued for no less that the next fifteen minutes and included over a dozen orders without any prompting from us, the SB staff. Some people paid more than would have had to and some paid less but, no one paid for their own. In fact, no one broke the chain of paying for the next person’s order until the last car came through and had no one behind him to pay for.

And think, this wonderful experience is all because of the initial gift of that first patron. It’s amazing just how contagious positive behavior really can be. Perhaps today, you can be that spark that sets off a chain of generosity and compassion at a restaurant, store or even your own home.
k><>

I really must apologize for length of time that has passed since TFTD part 1. It isn’t that nothing of interest has occurred (quite the opposite actually). Rather, I just haven’t taken the time to stop and write anything down. So, without further chatter…

Starbucks is My First Stop in the Morning…My Very First Stop

I work mostly nights but it isn’t uncommon for me to work on a Saturday morning or afternoon. Saturday’s are without a doubt where most of my memorable drivethru experiences occur. I can’t really put my finger on it, but there is something about the seventh day clientele that’s just a little bit…off (yeah, that’s a good word for it).

One such Saturday I had taken the order for a couple of common beverages and was preparing to go to the window and complete the transaction. Everything seemed quite normal as I slid open the window, announced the total and received from the lady driving, a crisp ten dollar bill. I went to the register to get the change but I new in the pit of my stomach something was wrong. The ten dollar bill seemed ok. The car was a run-of-the-mill late model sedan. The lady driving, a stocky, middle aged woman, seemed like nothing out of the ordinary. I wondered what it could be that just seemed a bit…off (yeah, that’s a good word for it). I began thinking about her passenger, a short, heavyset man that looked to be in his late forties. I assumed the man was her husband. As I was counting out the change it struck me that the man in the passenger seat had a significant amount of hair on his back. And then I knew why I was so disturbed. I shouldn’t know that he had back hair and I wouldn’t have except, he was wearing no clothes. All that separated me from full disclosure was a short, old pair of knit boxers. Now, I want to know (really somebody please enlighten me on this) what possesses a man to get out of bed, go right to his car with his wife and drive to Starbucks. Is it just that he likes his coffee first thing in the morning (even before he showers and gets dressed) so badly that he is willing to go out for it…like that? Second, what possesses this woman to nonchalantly cruise to her local coffee shop with her near-nude hubby?

Now, while I know that Starbucks strives to help people feel at home there, I still could not mistaken it for my own kitchen. Nor, would I so inconsiderately inflict on others not living in my home, the shortcomings of my male form. Needless to say, I had to get my coworkers to verify that I wasn’t just having a terrible hallucination and they were able to then share in my trauma.
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Indulge me for a moment while I tell you what’s been going on in my life these last two months. In August, I began feeling less than wonderful. I was tired and ill (not as in mean, though my husband may disagree, but as in not feeling well), and I feared that I might be pregnant again. (Yes Mom, I said feared; I’m not quite ready for a second Nut.) So, after much complaining, I went to the doctor. Turns out I have mono and apparently have had it for quite some time. Well, that definitely explains the tiredness. One night two weeks later I began experiencing a stabbing pain, much like a contraction. (I have quite a few pregnancy connections.) I journey to the emergency room only to discover that I have passed a kidney stone. Lovely! Also during this time I meet with a gastroenterologist who proclaims that I have irritable bowel syndrome, to which I translate as, “I’m not really sure why you’re having constant stomach pains.”

Well, some time passes and I begin to feel great again. As a reward, my husband and I take what we hope to be like a second honeymoon- a cruise. It was going to be wonderful! I boarded the ship (childless by the way…a week with zero responsibility) and I was giddy, like a kid in a candy shop. The first two days were amazing! We laughed, played Bingo, and tanned by the pool. And then Monday hit and I was sick. Not sea sick. “Chop my head off because it hurts so bad” sick. For the next two days, I would see the doctor and nurses in the infirmary more than the poolside waiters.

Thursday morning, the day of debarkation, couldn’t come soon enough. I visited my doctor and learned that my mono is still hanging on and I have viral meningitis. It’s not deadly, just a pain in the neck! (No pun intended.) I am slowly recovering and hope to be myself again soon.

I titled this blog “Bad Takes On Good” but I’ve yet to mention anything good. Here’s the good. A couple of weeks ago, a package was delivered to our house addressed to me from Belk. Upon opening, I found 12 five-piece place settings of lovely flatware. My step-dad had received a phone call a couple of days earlier from a Belk store saying that the package had been sitting there for a couple of years and was never mailed. It seems that it was a wedding present. So, my step-dad gave them my address and now I have this wonderful gift. Curious though, there wasn’t a card. Not a single piece of evidence that would reveal to me who sent this rather extravagant gift. I am bothered in knowing that some kind and generous person is cursing my name for having never received a proper “Thank you” from me. Any takers?

And in other good news…my cholesterol is quite desirable at 122!

<><LinZ