This is Mrs. Grumpy, writing for Thanksgiving.
When I was 5, my family lived in Massachusetts. My dad was a graduate student at the time, my mother was raising 3 kids. Dad worked 2 jobs, AND was an amateur boxer, to support us.
That winter we ran out of money. I didn't have a coat for school, and my parents couldn't afford one. My mom would dress me in multiple layers of her shirts to send me to school.
Somehow, through our church, word got out that there was a little girl who needed a coat. A family out there bought me a brand new one in my size, and donated it through the church.
I still don't know who they are, or how they heard about me. But it was warm, and fit me perfectly, and was my favorite coat EVER. It was still in good shape when I gave it to another family in need. By that time we weren't living in Massachusetts anymore.
Whoever you are who bought me that coat so long ago, thank you. It made all the difference in the world to me. And still does.
A beautiful memory. For kindnesses from strangers and friends alike, let us be grateful today.
ReplyDeleteThere are saints out there. Even secular ones.
ReplyDeleteBeautiful story.
ReplyDeleteAwww, what a beautiful story.... thank you for sharing it. Nice that you remember their generosity even after all these years, they must've really touched your life.
ReplyDeleteHappy Thanksgiving to you and yours.
happy thanksgiving skoolie. and grumpy and the kids too.
ReplyDeleteBeautiful story, Mrs. Grumpy...Happy Thanksgiving to the whole Grumpy family :)
ReplyDeleteWouldn't it be amazing if the person who donated the coat read this blog?
ReplyDeleteIn any case, thanks for sharing your story and a big thank you to all who donate to others and those who receive and give back.
Beautiful!
ReplyDelete:)
ReplyDeleteYou call it Thanksgiving. Here in the Germanic part of Europe they celebrate a festival called St Martin on 11th November. Traditionally they eat goose and the small children are given a Lebkuechen by a man on a horse wearing a cape. But only one cake between two: Martin saw a beggar at the side of the road and stopped to cut his coat in half and give one part to the beggar against the cold.
ReplyDeleteHappy Thanksgiving from a Brit: we always told our US friends that we celebrate getting rid of them ;-). The germanic areas have Martin, Advent and then Christmas, what do the Brits have? Commercialism, commercialism, commercialism... I'm glad I live in Germanic Italy with a load of US friends.
What a wonderful story.
ReplyDeleteI still remember the summer a couple gave us thier hand me downs from their daughter. We were trying to figure out how we were going to afford clothes for our daughter that year. I felt so blessed that I donate clothes and toys year round now that we are more finacially indpendant.
Pay it forward!
What a wonderful gift!
ReplyDelete...I'm not celebrating thanksgiving, but happy thursday! ;-)
Thank you for sharing that! That is exactly the spirit of this season!!
ReplyDeleteI hope everyone from Massachusetts who every donated a coat thinks this was for them!
ReplyDeleteHappy Thanksgiving to the Grumpy Family and those who enjoy reading about their Grumpy lives! ;-)
What a perfect way to give thanks. :)
ReplyDeleteI always try to "pay it forward"
that made me cry. and not just because I've been at work for 36 hours straight.
ReplyDeleteYour Welcome, and It was a wonderful time.
ReplyDeleteThanks for sharing such a touching story.
ReplyDeleteWhen we moved across the country with basically nothing, my newly-divorced single-mom mother's new co-workers gave us odds and ends to furnish our empty apartment. I still have the dresser someone gave us -- it was yellow and had animal decals on the drawers and white filigree metal knobs, so it didn't appeal too much to my 9-year-old brother. It's been repainted a few times but is going strong, and I have passed it on to my own daughter. I am gratified still by the kindness of these people who helped us out. I try to help out in turn when I can... God bless those people who gave you that beautiful coat. :)
ReplyDeleteWay cool.
ReplyDeleteThat's beautiful.
ReplyDeleteLovely story.
ReplyDeleteEileen:
We eat the goose to punish the fowls for revealing St. Martin. Or Morten as he is called in the Scandinavian parts.
Now I am in Texas. I can fix breakfast tacos and kolaches and entire Thanksgiving feast with turkey and sweet potatoes.
For that I am Thankful.
But I still have an advent wreath and in two weeks I will go into an entire pickled herring coma.
Skål!
That was lovely. Thank you.
ReplyDeleteMrs. Grumpy,
ReplyDeleteIsn't it amazing how a little bit of kindness can stick with a person for their entire life? I had a couple similar experiences as a child. I have never forgotten them.
One such incident was that I had a childhood accident that left me needing some dental work my family could not afford. When I was 14 I saved the money for it myself from a summer job. When the dentist found out I was paying myself he gave me a HUGELY discounted price.
I later met this dentist as an adult at a family function and told him thank you again and how much it had meant to me. He could not remember that he had done this but was glad that he had. For me it was life altering.
Your story gives me encouragement to keep trying to help others because you just never know who and how you will touch someone's life.
Happy Thanksgiving from a woman with a now perfect smile.
Dear Mrs. Grumpy,
ReplyDeleteI was also a needy child and the kindness of our neighbor helped my family so much it's difficult to express the magnitude of gratitude I have. Your post brought tears to my eyes and reminded me that kindness is never, ever misplaced. Thank you!
A little kindness is a huge gift.
ReplyDeleteThanks for reminding us.
I am so happy to join the 25 kind people who made similar comments here.