“To make a difference
in someone’s life, you don’t have to be
brilliant,
rich,
beautiful, or
perfect.
You just have to care.“
~Mandy Hale
On Wednesday, I rode Hank for a long time. It was a beautiful day, with a slight chill in the air. It was about 60 degrees. I had gotten really hot in the barn so when I rode, I took off my jacket. So, I was in 60 degree, slightly windy weather for several hours. I don’t know if that is what has made me sick, or if it can blamed on something else, but I’m feeling pretty sick. Puny. Very puny, in fact.
I woke up on Thursday morning with head and chest congestion, a scratchy and sore throat, a cough and an overall feeling of achiness. It worsened during the day on Thursday and on Friday I felt pretty bad.
Y’all may remember that every Friday night, Dwight and I and three other couples go to dinner. Each couple picks a restaurant to go to when it is “their time”. All of us look forward to going out every Friday night. It has become a tradition and we really enjoy it. We look forward to it all week long.
But, this Friday? Not so much. I felt so bad that I just didn’t want to get dressed and go. I felt really, really bad. I hadn’t eaten all day because I just didn’t have an appetite and thought that I may feel better if I went. So I did. I made myself get dressed and as soon as Dwight got home, off we went to meet everyone.
Dwight and I were first to arrive at our already-set table for 8. We chatted and talked about each other’s day as the others arrived.
We had a wonderful meal. It a Cajun-seafood restaurant and they have a killer “Cajun-grilled” shrimp dish that I love. I ate like I hadn’t had anything in a month. 🙂 I started feeling a little bit better as we began to pay our tickets and we were winding up our conversations.
The waitress walked over to our table and says to Dwight, “I have your ticket for your desserts, but your meal has already been paid for”. I looked at Dwight and he looked at me, turned to look at the waitress and said, “Really? Who paid for it?” She said she didn’t know, but that it was taken care of. “The man” had asked their waitress to get our ticket from our waitress.
I asked, “Are you sure he wanted to pay for ours? Maybe it was another couple with us?”
“No, mam. It was you. They described your clothes and your jewelry down to a t”.
Ahh. Okay. Well, wasn’t that a blessing?! It really lifted my spirits. I still felt bad, but spiritually and emotionally, I was sooooo up-lifted. That was a wonderful and kind gesture. We have absolutely no idea who did it. We probably never will. He’ll never know how his kindness blessed me. It wasn’t about the money. It was about the kindness and the no expectation to receive anything in return. He was already gone when our waitress told us that he had done it. When you do for others and expect nothing in return, that is true kindness and true compassion.
Why do things like congestion and cough get worse at night? Mine did. By about 10:00 on Friday evening, I was feeling terrible again. And there was really no change on Saturday morning. I almost—just almost—took the day off FB and every other device. But, I am so glad that I didn’t. When I first went onto the page Saturday morning, I had this message waiting for me:
“I just wanted to send you a thank you.
Your page is by far my favorite on FB.
The light in my life seemed to have dimmed
for no reason and your awesome posts are such a
pick me up and motivator! The light looks to be
getting a little brighter each day now.
I just needed someone to make me look at things a
lot differently than I had been looking at it.
Its hard work for the mind, but sure is worth it!
Have a great weekend!”
~Fan of The Horse Mafia
She will never know how her words helped me. Again, I still felt bad physically, but emotionally and spiritually, I felt so good.
You do not have to be extraordinary to make an extraordinary difference in someone’s life. You don’t have to make a lot of money. You don’t have to have degrees, or the highest-paying career in the world. You just have to care. The man in the restaurant and The Horse Mafia’s fan just took a moment to care. Kind, sweet gestures that lifted my heart and soul.
They made a tremendous difference in this little country girl’s life. J
Charity & The Horse Mafia
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