January 5, 2000
TAKE TIME:
Good intentions must be acted on
___In a populated area inundated with super-store franchises, she chose to shop at the older grocery store, where time and people moved a little slower. Slow enough to get to know the names of the folks in the bakery and deli, as well as the checkout lines.
___She was comfortable with everything about the store. Well, almost everything.
___One of the sackers had a severe speech impediment, and it seemed he always ended up being the one to sack her groceries when she came in. What made the situationuncomfortable was he usually attempted to carry on a conversation with her and her two young boys, and it was difficult to understand him. But they did learn his name was Bernard.
DONNA
VAN CLEVE
___After more trips to the grocery store with Bernard helping them, they began to understand what he was saying. And over a period of time, she and the boys began to look for and expect Bernard to be their sacker. They enjoyed their short visits with him.
___One day, when they went to the grocery store, Bernard was nowhere to be seen to sack their groceries. And the same thing happened on the next trip. She began to wonder if Bernard were sick or something, so she asked the cashier about him.
___"Oh, hadn't you heard?" the checkout lady said. "Bernard died."
She felt like someone punched her in the stomach--that was the last thing she expected for an answer. Bernard probably was in his mid-30s and seemed healthy. She went home in a daze.
___The more she thought about it, the more she wanted to contact his family and let them know she appreciated Bernard's help and friendly attitude at his workplace. She learned from store employees that Bernard's parents lived out of state, so she got the address and sent them a sympathy card with a note about her and her children's friendship with Bernard.
___Not long afterward, she received a phone call from Bernard's sister, thanking her for sending the card. The sister said the note about Bernard meant so much to all of them, but especially to her parents. Bernard's father would get very emotional and couldn't say much when people talked about Bernard, so he simply would hand them the card to read.
___The sister explained her father desired for each of his children to be respected in their communities and to be happy in their jobs. The card confirmed those things about Bernard, and it was a comfort to his parents to know that.
___The lady and her sons could have avoided an uncomfortable situation with Bernard in the beginning by choosing to go to another store. But she is glad now that she took the time to get to know and understand him better. And she had no idea that taking a few minutes to write a few words and send a card would make such an impact and be such a blessing to a grieving family.
___Sometimes God puts people who need encouragement in our paths, or he puts thoughts in our heads about acts of kindness toward others. Those encounters and thoughts are calls to action, and they don't necessarily have to take much time or effort.
___We all have good intentions throughout our lives, but they are meaningless if they've never been acted upon.
___It is taking the time to make a difference in someone's life. And doing so usually makes a difference in our own lives as well.
___Donna Van Cleve is a librarian and freelance writer in Cotulla, where she is a member of First Baptist Church
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