Kernels of Kindness

Today was the Cannonball Barbeque that was sponsored by the Evening Lyons Club and HyVee.

There are some elderly people that I try to do a little extra for when time permits so I purchased three tickets about a week ago and decided to use them towards a lunch for them. Well, I went there shortly after 11:00 am and they evidently were having some problems getting started as well as several traffic problems. I couldn’t wait around long enough for them to get things moving so I left and decided that I would get their carryouts later. I called all three of my dear old friends and told them they would have to make lunch for themselves and I would bring their chicken dinners to them at 5:00 pm. I had an appointment where I had to be at 5:30 so I thought I would be really mindful of time and went to the park at 10 minutes to 5:00. I’m glad that there was a great deal of community spirit and turnout but the traffic problems caused me to be later and later. By the time I got to the lady that was checking tickets, I was getting anxious and I know she could tell. Small chit chat but I did say to her that I was getting frustrated because I was going to be late for an appointment. She said, “Just a moment, I’ll see what I can do for you.” She took my tickets and nearly ran to where they were preparing the takeaways.

She was back at my car in perhaps less than five minutes. I was feeling a bit ashamed for saying anything to her because she went far out of her way for me. When she brought the packed dinners back to my car I told her I really appreciated what she did and also told her that those dinners were not for me but rather three housebound elderly people. She said, “Oh, such a nice thing to do.” As I was driving away, I was thinking just the opposite. What a terribly nice thing she did for me. When I encounter people like her, it encourages me to believe that there is hope for humanity. With each kernel of kindness grows a pillar of society. And yes, I delivered the dinners nearly on time and made my appointment one minute before 5:30. It looks like everyone was a winner.

Joe Chodur

About the Author | Joe Chodur

First of all....Joe Chodur really doesn't like talking about himself but this is what we have found out about him. Joe Chodur began his real estate career in 1981 during the height of the savings and loan crisis. It's hard to imagine how difficult it was to sell homes when…

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