In years past I needed to take a series of allergy shots, which required my going downtown to the medical center where my doctor had his office. Next to the medical building was a parking lot and, for convenience' sake, I would park there to save time each time I went. The man who ran the lot was tall and very unhappy looking. At first I was quite apprehensive of him. Time after time I took my car to his lot, but always he was uncommunicative, and he never smiled. Over a period of time I noticed that he ran his lot well and gave good service to people. And he didn't seem to miss any days. He was there in the heat of summer (you could see the heat coming up off the asphalt), and he was there in the cold of winter. So I began to greet him each time with a cheery "good morning", and then thanked him each time I left. But still there was never any trace of emotion in his eyes or in his facial expression or in his voice. One morning when I needed to go downtown for my shot, it was very, very cold out. The temperature was in the 20-degree range and it was windy. I thought about the man in the lot, and the Lord gave me an idea..... I put some oatmeal cookies in a plastic container for him. And then I was hoping as I drove downtown that I could get him some coffee from the coffee shop in the medical center. Now we have "take-out" coffee available everywhere, but that was not true back then. As I pulled into the parking lot, the attendant was there, bracing himself against the wind and looking very chilled. I went into the medical center and got my allergy shot, and then I headed for the coffee shop. I told the waitress I wanted to take coffee to the parking lot fellow and asked if she could help me. She found some styrofoam cups, so I now had a hot drink to take to the man. When I came out of the building into the parking lot, the wind was blowing so hard that I wondered if the coffee would still be hot when I gave it to him. I tried to be casual as I spoke to him.... "It's cold out here. You need something hot to drink!" Then I handed him the cookie container.... "Here is something to go with the coffee....." There were a few awkward seconds, because he didn't know what to say. So I went on with.... "I'll get the container later. Thank you for good service." At this point a miracle happened...... he began to smile..... only for a few moments... but he did smile..... I do not know what the burden was in his life that caused him to be so withdrawn and unhappy, but perhaps........ just perhaps...... he remembers that someone cared for him at some point in his life. And maybe somehow or some way it might help him to have courage at a later time when all around him is failing...... The reward I felt at seeing him even be able to smile was so much more than the effort it took to reach out to him..... "Just as you want men to do to you, you also do to them likewise." Luke 6:31 NKJ
© 2005 Arlene Schwartzkopf