Wednesday, May 15, 2013

game night and 'ya got some spare change?' turns into almost a full tank of gas. well played, jrob

last saturday i went to game night at natalie's and since i got there first, i got the grand tour! her husband, steven, is so talented! he makes beautiful furniture-which they showcase throughout the house. LOVED IT!

before everyone got there, i noticed a little puppy sleeping on his bed under the coffee table...i knew he wasn't real, but everyone likes to touch things, so i went to 'fake-pet' him under the chin (because i'm pretty sure i can even win over a fake dog)...and his head pretty much swung away from his neck, as if on a hinge; i asked natalie about this, and she informed me of a slight mishap with some young family members. good times.

he was sleeping so peacefully that even a swinging neck couldn't wake him.
 the food was spectacular, and then we got to the games! it was fun getting to know the spouses a little better!

i have realized that no matter how many times i try to like catch phrase and give it a chance, it just doesn't work for me. i'm pretty sure it's the countdown timer that irritates the crap out of me. anyhoo, we also tried cranium (which i do enjoy), but i'm pretty sure everyone else got bored with it. then we moved to balderdash, which was very fun-i love that one as well, and we ended up back at catch phrase before the evening was over.

i think i'm more into games like pictionary, word games...apples to apples..volleyball...regardless, we all had fun! 

when maria walked in, she gave me  an awesome magazine, which i have read through, and may consider subscribing to. and then her husband gave me this awesome keychain, which i immediately put on my key-biner.
some great articles!
partly to see what people say! great conversation starter!!
 sunday night i had my last reading assignment for ed-policy...but that doesn't mean i will stop looking for more information about education reform. once you start, it's addictive. it will be neat to watch and see how what we've learned evolves.

tuesday night was our final meeting-apart from our culminating event. it was a great session, and as much as i sometimes dreaded losing a tuesday night, it is always so worth it! i always leave enthusiastic about the possibilities for change.

this afternoon i stopped at target to get some items i needed, and when i was walking the cart through the parking lot toward my car, i saw an older african american gentleman walking away from another lady and pushing her cart to the corral. i tried to avoid eye contact as he approached me because i thought, great, he's going to ask me for money too. and sure enough, he held out his hand where he had some change and asked if i had any change, because he needed gas for his car, they were trying to get back to duncanville, just need $5 etc. well, i didn't have any small bills nor did i have any coins. i had just gotten a $20 while i was in the store, but i got it for a reason...

i looked to see if i had any change in my purse, and avoided looking at the $20, then i looked at all i had bought, and thought how petty of you not to help him put $5 into his car. what's $5? 

so i pointed to the gas station and said, meet me over there with your car and i will pay for your gas. at first i don't think he believed me, but he started walking and i drove over to meet him there. well, when i got there, he was walking up, his wife was on the other side of a busy street (beltline), and it took her an awfully long time to get through traffic and pull in. i'm sure the gas attendant people were wondering what i was waiting around for.

i grabbed two waters and at the last moment, i decided that $5 wasn't enough, and paid for $40 worth of fuel for the couple, gave them the water and wished them well. it just seemed like the right thing to do. i don't know what their circumstances were, but i do know the story of the good samaritan...and i just got paid...you know how some people grow up and say, "i sound like my parents!" well.. i didn't have to say much, but i'm pretty sure  i can say(proudly), "i act like my parents." 

i don't know how many times they have done things like that in order to help people out, knowing they will never be paid back for their kindnesses. there is not a more powerful lesson, and i couldn't love and respect them more! thanks mom and dad!

julie

No comments:

Post a Comment