Make it a POINT to......

So, we are getting ready to finally move (still here in Panama, just a MUCH better area..yay!) and in the process we have had to sell some of our furniture because with this move to a nicer area comes a smaller place! Well, when we first posted our furniture on Encuentra 24 (our Greig's list) I was just beside myself to know that we were practically giving away some very nice furniture! As it turns out, the family that bought it (at a SUPER low price) is a couple who just had a baby, have never owned their own furniture, and finally saved to get something for themselves. What a great feeling to know that our loss, turned into a blessing for someone else. Oddly enough, that is the same thing that happened when we moved from the States down here to Panama. A young couple, new baby and not much money got a beautiful set of furniture from us for practically nothing! They even called me later to thank me and tell me how much they loved it! It really feels good to give, even when you are not sure you want to. I believe, that it always comes back to you.... with more too! Not to be the reason to give, but just to show that when you can give, you shall receive. Plus it just makes you realize how good it feels to know that someone else is better off because of something you did!

**Here's a little catch though!!! The movers, who they have picking up the furniture, were supossed to be here on Monday afternoon, then again on Tuesday morning, then again on Wedsnday afternoon and now it is pushed to Friday! Do you think they are coming?? This is actually very typical down here. You don't know when they are really going to show (because nobody calls to confirm), but they will, it's just usually when you are NOT expecting them! There really are some things that I miss about he U.S!

Have a great day!

Blessings!!

Oxox

Ya just NEVER know....

......how your ACTIONS can affect someone else.





Here's something to take with you this weekend, and always.

The
Cab Ride

I arrived at the address and honked the horn.
After waiting a few minutes
I walked to the
Door and knocked.. 'Just a minute', answered a
Frail, elderly voice. I could hear something
Being dragged across the floor.


After
A long pause, the door opened. A small woman in
Her 90's stood before me. She was wearing a
Print dress and a pillbox hat with a veil pinned
On it, like somebody out of a 1940's
Movie.


By her side was a small nylon
Suitcase. The apartment looked as if no one had
Lived in it for years. All the furniture was
Covered with sheets.


There were no
Clocks on the walls, no knickknacks or utensils
On the counters. In the corner was a cardboard
Box filled with photos and
Glassware.


'Would you carry my bag
Out to the car?' she said. I took the suitcase
To the cab, then returned to assist the
Woman.


She took my arm and we walked
Slowly toward the curb.


She kept
Thanking me for my kindness. 'It's nothing', I
Told her.. 'I just try to treat my passengers
The way I would want my mother
Treated.


'Oh, you're such a good
Boy, she said. When we got in the cab, she gave
Me an address and then asked, 'Could you drive
Through downtown?'


'It's not the
Shortest way,' I answered
Quickly..


'Oh, I don't mind,' she
Said. 'I'm in no hurry. I'm on my way to a
Hospice...


I looked in the rear-view
Mirror. Her eyes were glistening. 'I don't have
Any family left,' she continued in a soft
Voice.. 'The doctor says I don't have very
Long.' I quietly reached over and shut off the
Meter.


'What route would you like me
To take?' I asked.


For the next two
Hours, we drove through the city. She showed me
The building where she had once worked as an
Elevator
Operator.


We drove through the
Neighborhood where she and her husband had lived
When they were newlyweds She had me pull up in
Front of a furniture warehouse that had once
Been a ballroom where she had gone dancing as a
Girl.


Sometimes she'd ask me to slow
In front of a particular building or corner and
Would sit staring into the darkness, saying
Nothing..


As the first hint of sun was
Creasing the horizon, she suddenly said, 'I'm
Tired.. Let's go now'.


We drove in
Silence to the address she had given me. It was
A low building, like a small convalescent home,
With a driveway that passed under a
Portico.


Two orderlies came out to
The cab as soon as we pulled up. They were
Solicitous and intent, watching her every move.
They must have been expecting her.


I
Opened the trunk and took the small suitcase to
The door. The woman was already seated in a
Wheelchair.


'How much do I owe you?'
She asked, reaching into her
Purse.


'Nothing,' I
Said


'You have to make a living,' she
Answered.


'There are other
Passengers,' I responded.


Almost
Without thinking, I bent and gave her a hug. She
Held onto me tightly.


'You gave an
Old woman a little moment of joy,' she
Said.
'Thank you.'


I squeezed her
Hand, and then walked into the dim morning
Light.. Behind me, a door shut.. It was the sound
Of the closing of a life..


I didn't
Pick up any more passengers that shift. I drove
Aimlessly lost in thought. For the rest of that
Day, I could hardly talk. What if that woman had
Gotten an angry driver, or one who was impatient
To end his shift?
What
If I had refused to take the run, or had honked
Once, then driven away?


On a quick
Review, I don't think that I have done anything
More important in my life.


We're
Conditioned to think that our lives revolve
Around great moments.


But great
Moments often catch us unaware-beautifully
Wrapped in what others may consider a small
One.


PEOPLE MAY NOT REMEMBER EXACTLY
WHAT YOU DID, OR WHAT YOU SAID ~BUT~THEY WILL
ALWAYS REMEMBER HOW YOU MADE THEM
FEEL.


Life
may not be the party we hoped for, but while we
are here we might as well dance

Regards,
Kay Tonini-Crawford

Blessings!!
Oxo