Random Act of Kindness
After a day of working hard on the landscaping in my yard, I was tired, sweaty and thirsty. The Florida summer humidity and temperatures in the 90’s was setting in and the 2008 hurricane season had just started. I slowly sipped on a cold glass of lemonade, admiring the job I’d just completed.
Suddenly my cell phone rang, piercing the peacefulness and serenity. It was my son, Jonathan, who lived three thousand miles away in Washington State.
“Hey, Dad! How are you doin’ today?”
“Pretty good, Jon. How about you? I thought you had a golf tournament today?” I asked.
“I did. We’re all done. I finished second, with a three under par score,” he responded.
“Let me guess,” I started, “Dr. Conroy won?”
“Yeah, but I scared him good this time,” Jon answered with a chuckle. “It came down to the last hole. I want to tell you what happened yesterday, though. I felt pretty good about this when it was all over.”
“Go ahead. I’m just relaxing,” I answered.
Jonathan commenced with his story telling me how he’d been washing his car and noticed this gray-haired guy staggering towards him. As he got closer he asked, “Do you have five dollars so I can get something to eat and a beer?”
The guy was disheveled looking and it was evident he’d been drinking.
“I’ve got five dollars but I’m not giving it to you so you can get drunk,” Jon answered, sternly.
“No sir, I really need something to eat. I haven’t had any food in two days. If I get some food in me I can make it to the mission downtown and I’ll be okay when I get there,” the man responded.
“You’re headed for the mission, huh?” Jon quizzed, skeptically. “That’s about a five mile walk, you know?”
“I know but I can make it,” he responded. “I just hope my ministers aren’t there. My church does a lot of work with the mission and I don’t care to be preached at today.”
“Really,” Jonathan responded. “What church do you go to?”
“I go to the Old Stone Church,” he answered.
“Hmmm. So do I,” Jonathan said and then quizzed the man further. “Who are the ministers there?”
Without hesitation the man named all three ministers.
Surprised, Jonathan said, “I’ll tell you what…you help me dry the car and I’ll drive you to the mission and we can stop and get you some food along the way,” as he threw a towel to the man. “My name is Jonathan,” my son said, extending his hand to the man.
The man extended his hand and said, “My name is Peter. Thanks for your kindness, Jonathan.”
For the next twenty minutes the man explained how his lady friend had thrown him out of the house a few days ago, kept the keys to his car, and called the police when he tried to get back in the house. The police came and told him he couldn’t stay there so he left and had been living on the streets since then.
Just as they got into the car, Jonathan’s phone rang. It was his girlfriend Chris. Chris was an extremely devout person who had been a strong spiritual influence in Jonathan’s life the past six months. He briefly explained what was going on and said he couldn’t talk right now and that he’d call her later.
Chris finished her short conversation with, “I’m proud of you, Jon.”
As they drove towards the mission Jonathan asked Peter what he wanted to eat.
“I’m really craving a Double Whopper with cheese, onion rings, and a Coke, if that wouldn’t be too much,” Peter responded.
Jonathan pulled into the Burger King and ordered what the man wanted. When he got to the drive up window he paid with a twenty dollar bill. The lady handed him his change and Jonathan looked at the man sitting next to him.
“Here, Peter…you keep this money so you’ve got something to tide you over,” my son said as he handed Peter the change.
The man was astounded and said, “This is too kind, Jonathan. You don’t even know me.”
“Oh, I think I know you,” Jonathan answered. “I’ve been where you are.”
Peter finished his large meal and drink before they reached the mission. Jonathan went inside with him and felt better that everyone knew Peter. The kind lady receptionist embraced Peter as he told her all about Jonathan. She then had him go to the showers.
“It was kind of you to do what you did for Peter. He’s had a rough go of it these past five years since losing his wife,” she explained. “We’re very concerned about him.”
“Look…here’s twenty dollars,” Jonathan said. “That should feed him for a couple of days. If it isn’t enough, let me know and I’ll bring you more.”
“Jonathan, this will feed Peter for a couple of weeks. Thank you so much,” the lady said.
“Don’t let him leave here and go get drunk,” Jonathan continued. “If he does, call me. I’ll go get him.”
“Your concern is overwhelming,” the lady said with a smile. “God Bless you, Jonathan.”
“Thank you but it’s personal with me,” Jonathan replied. “I’ve been in that hell he’s in. However, my life got turned around about ten years ago by the grace of God and some doctors here in town when they took me under their wings. I went from being a drunken brawler, in debt up to my eyeballs with three DUI’s and being on probation for five years to a well paid surgery tech 2, a digital imaging specialist and now I’m the orthopedic surgery coordinator at the hospital. It’s more than concern, m’am.”
“That’s called a Random Act of Kindness. I’m very proud of you, Jonathan. I love the person you’ve become,” I said as my eyes welled up.
Jonathan got back to explaining the day’s golf tournament to me. It was all medical people and he was paired with his old friend and mentor, Dr. Bob Conroy. Jonathan had never beaten Conroy. The guy was an awesome player.
By the end of the seventeenth hole Jonathan was only one stroke behind Dr. Conroy. A straight drive to the pin would mean he would have to drive over some trees about two hundred yards down the fairway to his right.
As he approached the tee he bowed his head and said to himself…Just make it long and straight, please.
He crushed a world class drive of over three hundred yards. Conroy’s drive was about two hundred fifty. Jonathan’s second shot to the green went wide to the right leaving him at the far end of the green about seventy five feet from the pin and all downhill. Conroy was on the green in three shots. However, his lay left him only about six feet from the hole.
Quite a crowd had gathered as they watched the mentor and his protégé square off.
Jonathan knew that Bob Conroy would probably birdie the par 5 hole. However, if Jon could sink his putt he would Eagle the hole and force a sudden death playoff where he could possibly beat Conroy for the first time in his life. His heart pounded as he lined up the shot. He confidently approached the ball and stroked the putt and watched as it went over two rolls in the green and then curved right towards the hole and stopped one half inch to the right and dead center of hole.
Jonathan tapped in for his Birdie and the game ended to loud applause from the spectators as Jonathan finished just one stroke behind Dr. Conroy.
Conroy walked over to Jonathan and they embraced. Once in the clubhouse Dr. Conroy was amazed at Jon’s calm play that day.
“What did you eat for breakfast this morning, Jon? You played one hell of a game today. The best I’ve ever seen from you. I’m proud of you,” the doctor lauded.
“It wasn’t breakfast, Bob. God was with me today,” Jonathan nonchalantly responded.
“Whoa, son! You’re not going to start with this God and church stuff, are you?” Conroy asked with a chuckle.
“No, I’m not, but listen to this story that happened yesterday,” Jonathan replied.
Jonathan commenced telling the story about Peter and what had happened the previous day. When he finished the doctor was quietly starring at him.
“You mean you think God helped you play this awesome game today?” he asked.
“Yeah, I do,” Jonathan answered. “I think there’s possibly more to it, though.”
Pausing a moment, Dr. Conroy shot back, “Wait a minute! You think this Peter fellow is God, don’t you?”
“Well, he could be, Bob. I’ve never met God face to face but he could be anyone, or anything, at anytime and anywhere. Maybe what I did yesterday was just a test and what happened today is a glimpse into the future with us,” Jonathan replied with a wink and a smile.
