Just a Teaspoon of Kindness

I work hard at a thankless job; as a restaurant manager, I put in sweat and effort, being pleasant to those who are not, serving plates over and over to people who are often rude and complaining. And then I come home to someone who cannot work; my friend is disabled due to epilepsy - and he only has a few years to live.

His illness drains him of energy - and he often suffers pain. Even a short ride to the store exhausts him. So when his glasses broke at the hinge, it was a bit of a problem. He could not see without them - but going to an optometrist's office would be both a big expense and would drain him. I took the glasses and put them in my shirt pocket; "let me see what I can do."

I had several errands to run before going to work that afternoon - buy groceries, pay a bill, pick up his medicine at the pharmacy. I called the optometrist's office and left them a voicemail. Giving them his name I told them the problem. "Medicaid paid for the glasses about a year ago. I don't know if they have a warranty or not. Ill call back later to see what you can do to help him."

My last errand took me close to the office, so I decided to drop by and see if they had an answer. The person who worked with fitting and repairs was gone to lunch, but she was expected back soon. The receptionist told me that Medicaid would not pay to repair the glasses. I waited.

Very shortly the lady returned from lunch. I explained that I had left my friend at home - that travel was very difficult for him. She nodded her understanding. She examined the glasses and said that they could not be repaired - the frames would have to be replaced. I asked her to check and see if Medicaid could pay for another set of frames. She flipped through her card file and checked the date - no, they weren't covered. Perhaps she looked and saw my look of sadness.

She put her hand to her temple and thought for a moment. "We don't usually have those frames in stock . . . but let me check."

In a moment she found a pair of frames identical to the broken ones. In just a moment she had removed the lenses and placed them in the new frames - she carefully cleaned them. And then she did something truly amazing - she carefully examined the broken frames - and bent the new ones exactly the same. She spent several minutes carefully examining her work.

She handed them to me with a smile - "now he won't have to come out to have them adjusted."

I asked her what I owed her, and she waved her hand in the air. "Not a cent," she said, "I'm just glad we had them."

By this time my eyes were filling up with tears at her kindness and thoughtfulness towards someone she had never even met. I thanked her for her generosity and her thoughtfulness.

Nearly a year has passed - and whenever I think I have a thankless job - I remember her kindness. Good deeds are rewarded.

Submitted by Anonymous

Caring