Thursday, August 26, 2010

A stranger's generosity and Growing in Unity Day 4

Today is day 4 of growing in Unity!  I have a card to share, but first a little story.  One that truly makes you step back and take a look at your life, be thankful for what you have, and give that little extra each and every day to be kind and loving to those around you.  This isn't a sad story...although I will tell you that when it happened to us, it made me cry.  I wasn't crying tears of sadness, but because of how this one stranger was so thoughtful, kind, selfless and how it touched my heart so very much.

Last night my family and I attended a Dine to Donate event at our local Applebee's to raise funds for the youth football program in town, that my son is a member of.  I figured the place would be mobbed (which it was) and that the wait would be long (which it was) and since Kelsey & I had hair appointments at 8:00 I asked Bob to go right from work and put our names in.  The kids and I were at football practice and planned on meeting him as soon as practice was let out.  

There was already a wait when Bob arrived so he put our names on the list and sat down at the bar.  Now he was coming right from work so he was still in uniform.  He sat down next to another man and as guys do over a beer they started talking.  Not about anything in particular.  The gentleman asked him why he was in uniform (which he explained as I did above) and about his family.  No biggie.  In the meantime we arrived, our table was called and Bob ended his conversation with the man. 

During dinner we were approached by a waitress (or could have been the manager, bartender...not sure) who handed Bob a gift card and told him it was from the gentleman at the bar.  He had already left and didn't want his name revealed, nor any thanks.  He just wanted to thank Bob for his service and their conversation and wanted our family to enjoy dinner on him (this is where I started crying...right there in a packed restaurant).   Let's just say that this man was very generous and his gift paid for our meal and drinks.  Since the woman that presented the gift card knew this gentleman personally, we did ask that she thank him profusely and to please make sure he knew how grateful we were for his kindness. We have gone several places with Bob in uniform before and this has never happened to us as a family (he had a similar experience in Wisconsin a few weeks ago on a military trip), not that I would ever expect it to.

I am still without words.  People in this world can be so mean, and this one man, with his act of kindness put many things in perspective for me and allowed me to teach my children a very valuable lesson in kindness and generosity.

I wish we could thank him, but since I don't really know how I could I will pay it forward at the right time.

In honor of his kindness and beautiful spirit, I created this card for GIU Day 4...enjoy!



Images are from Bevy of Butterflies and the design is from Mojo Monday (#153).  Don't forget to leave me some bloggy love for your chance to win some Unity goodness.  I will pick the winner on Sunday.

Please take the time today to go out and do something kind for someone,

Tracy

16 comments:

Romaine said...

What a great story, and what a kind act....I love the card-I can't put my finger on the paper-is it Emporium?

jo said...

Fab story Tracy...brought tears to my eyes. What a kind gentleman!!

Love the card...very soft and beautiful.

Unknown said...

Awwww Tracy, this is a wonderful story...it reminds us that we truly have some lovely people around us! Your card portrays this story perfectly...it is so pretty and wonderful! The colors and embellies are gorgeous, and I've got to get out my Bevy of Butterflies, as I haven't inked them in a loooong time. Thanks for the inspiration and have a fabulous day!

deb said...

Wow this is an awesome card - the level of detail is fabulous. It stood out in the gallery to me. Awesome job Tracy. I've bookmarked your blog to come back to look around. Nice job. : )
deb

Unknown said...

this is beautiful!
great colors.

Gwen said...

What a beautiful card and a beautiful story. How wonderful to know there are people like this in our society. God bless America and all those who sacrifice to provide our freedoms!!

StampinCathy said...

Wonderful story. It's so nice to hear things like this. Your card is just stunning and so inspiring. Love the colors and that butterfly is so pretty.

Kristi said...

Tracy,
What a sweet story...it's so nice to hear about acts of kindness,especially toward those who serve us in the armed forces. My husband retired from the Army about a year ago and this happened to him once while out at lunch one day. He never even saw who paid for his meal! Beautiful card also!

Pammejo said...

Thank you for sharing

Marilyn Nimmo said...

LOVE the story--yes, people are wonderful and generous. There are those who are not, but it is so nice when we cross paths with those who renew our faith in humanity. LOVE your card!!

Rachel B said...

Great story and I love the card! THat butterfly with the bling! Very pretty!

Savannah O'Gwynn said...

What a beautiful story---passing on God's love! LOVE it!! Makes me want to step out like that and share with someone (who inspires me or who serves for our country/etc.). Hope you enjoyed your meal!

Beautiful card---love that butterfly and those colors!

Angie Blom said...

OH so pretty.. I love the colours.

Lindsey said...

This is so pretty! Love the soft colours and the way you used this layout. I hear my Bevy of Butterflies set calling to me now! ;)

FibreJunky said...

What a lovely story!! My husband is in the Air Force. He was stationed in Germany during the first Gulf War - and I guess it was drilled into them at the time to NEVER go out on the economy in uniform. As a result, he doesn't go anywhere without coming home and changing first, unless it's to a squadron luncheon or to the base clinic.

Your card is so soft and pretty. I know it will make someone very happy to receive.

blah said...

That is really an amazing story. My dad's retired Air Force and I will always appreciate what our military does for us.

Gorgeous card! I love the soft colors and how you blinged out the butterfly body.

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