We started out on our walk together. Up ahead something was scattered on the road that was glinting in the sunlight. When we got to it, I picked one up and showed Kim, who was on the phone. I was going to keep walking, but I heard him say, “That’s live ammo” as he started picking up shells. There were a bunch so I helped out and Kim put them all in his pocket. I didn’t think much more about it.
-----------------
Kim walked to Nutt Rd. to do some trimming on the bushes around the camera. We had a plan: after my walk and shower, I was to call him to see if he wanted to be picked up. His feet have been hurting; we bought some inserts for his shoes and today was his first time walking any distance with them.
I got done with my shower; my hair was still wet, but I called him as arranged. “Do you need me to pick you up?” He quickly said, “Yes” which I expected, but then he followed that up with, “and bring some cash”. Taken aback because there’s not a store on the way to Nutt Rd, I managed to say, “Oh-kay…why? How much?” His comeback was, “Well, how much do you have?” At this point the call ends; I'm mystified about this one, but I grab the cash envelope and jump in the truck.
He got as far as opening the truck door before I asked about needing the cash. Long story short: there was a couple with 2 kids who needed money. They told Kim their circumstances and he didn’t doubt their story or sincerity. My first question when he told me the story was “Do you think this is a scam?” and he emphatically said, “No, I don’t.” So, we gave them some cash, they were extremely grateful, and we went our separate ways.
Now, could this have been a scam? Could they have just been taking advantage of us? Sure, and if it that’s the case, shame on them and they’ll eventually be judged for their deception. But, if it was legitimate and we had the opportunity and the means to help, but didn’t…well, I think we’d eventually be judged for refusing to help. I have a friend who has been known to say, “Err on the side of grace.” And I guess that’s what we did…we erred on the side of grace, and both feel that we did the right thing. They needed money, we had money to give…end of story.
Later, when I was out on a bike ride late afternoon, “One of Us” by Joan Osborne came on. Yeah, it’s just a song, but the chorus spoke volumes to me.
What if God was one of us?
Just a slob like one of us
Just a stranger on the bus
Tryin' to make his way home?
--------------------
After I got back from my ride, Kim told me that he called the sheriff’s department to tell them what he had, and they sent a deputy out to pick them up. First the deputy just drove into the campground without checking with the office…that got Felicia a little ruffled up. Then the deputy knocked on our neighbor’s door, which got the mom and kids a bit ruffled, too. Bottom line is that the shells were disposed of, and Kim had to do some explaining to do.
--------------------
--------------------
On my ride today, I took Park Link to the Tom Mix Memorial, then turned around and came back the same way. The weather was great and the traffic was minimal.
I got home about 5:45 and was just starting to think about supper when the phone rang; it was Audra at the clubhouse telling us to come join the potluck. I didn’t know about the potluck so we had nothing to bring; no matter, Audra said there was plenty, and we should get ourselves up there. It was a fun time; someone had made some white chili with a kick but if it was teamed up with the beans, then the spiciness was supposedly taken down a notch. Not sure about that because it still had some heat but it was good enough to get a second helping. Oh, and the Wisconsinites brought a snack tray that included chocolate cheese that tasted like a mild fudge with the consistency of cheese. Sounds weird but it was very good.
No comments:
Post a Comment