Random Acts of Kindness - for Me!

Yesterday I woke up to another white world of a snowstorm.  It was snowing hard and everything was covered.  "Oh, well," I thought, "I'll just stay home today - change of plans."

I puttered around, eating breakfast, working at odd housework jobs, then mid-morning, I looked out the windows beside my front door.  Someone had shoveled the snow off my front porch, the steps, and the entire 2-car-wide driveway, clear out to the street!!  My newspaper, which is delivered at the end of my very steep driveway, was just outside the front door!   This was so beautiful to me that it took my breath away for an instant and brought tears to my eyes!

WHO could have done such a big job without me knowing, while I was still home?  How can you clear all that snow without making a lot of noise?  I was awake and I was home.  Yes, I was working at the back of the house.  I thought I heard someone on the front porch once, but I listened and decided it must have been a neighbor scraping his driveway.

If I had known who it was that performed such a kindness, I would have heaped lavish thanks upon the person and offered hot chocolate!  As it is, I may never know who to thank!

It has been so cold, so snowy, windy and icy for the past couple of weeks, mostly I just go outside once, to the mailbox (on the days it's delivered) when I know it's there, and pick up my newspaper at the end of the driveway, usually mid- to late-afternoon.  I have had to be very careful, slowly walking along the side of the driveway in the grass because my driveway is really steep.  And even then, I slip and slide some.

I have a snow shovel, a very sturdy one.  Once, I put up the garage door and looked down the driveway.  I thought of how long it would take me to clear the driveway.  The wind was blowing the snow sideways off the trees and the windchill was less than zero. Frostbite can happen quickly in weather like that.  I thought it would be prudent just to skip it and let the snow melt off eventually.

So, whoever it was that cleared all the snow and brought up my newspaper, many, many thanks!!

The only other time I recall a definite Random Act of Kindness, something wonderful done by an unknown person, happened on one of my church's Seniors' group's outings.  There was about thirty of us returning in a bus on I-64 west of Louisville, Kentucky. We had stopped for dinner at a restaurant overlooking the Ohio River.  The restaurant was large and filled nearly to capacity.  We enjoyed wonderful Southern cooking and had a grand time with each other.  It was special to watch the sun set over the river.  When we asked for our checks, the waitress said, "It's already paid for.  The gentleman was sitting over there."  And she pointed to a now empty block of seats.  Then, again, who could we thank?  With thirty of us, the bill must have been hundreds of dollars!  So, what could we do?  We said a few prayers for our benefactor.

My dear Lord, I pray, thank you for sending me this angel to clear the snow!  Please point out when I may be an angel to others!