A Christmas Carol/2008
Redeeming the Snow Storm:
On Christmas Eve, I managed to break parts of two sets of tire chains attempting to get home from Legacy Hopewell House Hospice, where I serve as Chaplain and Volunteer Coordinator. After working in vain for two hours to get my car from the bottom of our hill up to our driveway–becoming soaking wet and succeeding in just about freezing my hands off in the process–I gave up, walked home, had a drink and a bowl of soup, watched a movie, said a half-hearted prayer of thanksgiving for the holiday and went to bed. The next day brought no relief from the weather, so the car stayed in the street, more or less close to the curb. I was OK with that except for the fact that I had committed to assist at a graveside service at Willamette National Cemetery Friday morning for a veteran who had been killed in a tragic accident earlier in the week. I had just about concluded that I would have to call the Funeral Director and tell him I couldn’t make it when there was a knock at our front door. I opened it and there was Charlie, my next-door neighbor, who said with a smile, “I know that you do important work. It’s work I couldn’t do, but I’d like to help in some way. If you have to go anywhere tomorrow, take my RAV 4 Toyota (Ed. Note. It’s brand new) . It’s got 4-wheel drive and it’s all chained up and ready to go.”
Needless to say, I took him up on his offer. I got to Willamette National and did the service–after a bunch of us got the hearse unstuck. When I took Charlie’s Toyota back home, I discovered that he and Denny, another of my wonderful neighbors, had dug out my car and driven it to my house. Once there, Charlie had installed a heavy-duty set of chains for which he no longer had use (and which fit my car exactly). Needless to say, I was overwhelmed. But that’s not the end of the story.
In recognition of my service to this veteran, his family had given me an honorarium. Within an hour, I became aware of a poor family’s serious need for financial assistance. It turned out that what they needed was what I had received. I hope you won’t be surprised when I tell you that I passed on the gift that was given to me.
When I preside at funerals and memorial services, I often stress that one of the best ways to honor a deceased friend or loved one who has shown us kindness or generosity is to resolve to pass it on, and that in so doing the person’s memory and influence remains alive in the world. I can’t tell you all the details of how this came about, but what I can reveal is that my neighbor had no prior knowledge of my Friday morning commitment; nor, except for me, do any of the people involved in this triangle of good will know any of the others. But they have all become part of the legacy of generosity shown by my neighbors and by a family in memory of their loved one who had died. As Tiny Tim says at the end of Dickens’ A Christmas Carol, “God bless us everyone!”
