I want to say thank you

I want to say thank you

We inch along from time to time, but have been essentially motionless on the interstate for about 30-minutes. With my mom, I am in the middle of three lanes. To save not just gas but the air around us, I turn the car off. To our left, in the lane next to the median, is another parked vehicle. Only one man is in this vehicle and it’s a general contractor’s truck.

He jumps out and quickly forages through the contents in what appears to be a full bed of tools and supplies. Deftly, he pulls out a super heavy duty garbage bag. As we are not moving, this forty-something year-old proceeds to the open area between the north and south lanes of traffic. Without delay, he begins to pick up garbage along the road. 

Traffic begins to move a bit. He jumps back in his truck. We all roll ahead about 50 feet. When we are stopped for a second time, Mr. Clean proceeds where he left off.

We move again about five minutes later. Again, he quickly disappears into the cab of his truck.

A dozen quick stops and starts happen before we pass what caused the jam.

As we all move along at highway speeds, I never get to thank this do-good guy. Maybe he is reading this column. If you are here in this paragraph good sir, I want to say thank you. I am filled with joy at what you did.

Another soul approaches me a few days later. I am by myself and had just purchased groceries in a store my kids and I frequent regularly. Travel the aisles as a single father with the number of young children I have—including a now seven-month-old baby—and you kind of get noticed. For example, we use two carts now.

The time change had happened. The large parking lot is well-lit, but it’s dinnertime and the sun has long gone.

From the dark (or it felt like it was dark), a sales associate who has checked us out of the store at least a dozen times comes up and says, “Here, let me help you.”

I am an able-bodied dude. I can do this. These are groceries.

This means nothing to a woman at least ten years my senior. She just starts loading groceries into the back of the van. She asks how the kids are.

She moves to enter the store as the last bag settles.

She is gone.

Maybe she is reading this column. If you here in this paragraph, good soul, I want to say thank you again. I was really very tired that night. I was even feeling a little blue about my mom’s health report. You just came along. You didn’t ask if you could help. You just did.

I am filled with joy at what you did.

Then there’s the Children’s Hospital in Danville. I had ridden down in the ambulance from EMHS the night before with my seven-month-old son whose oxygen level wasn’t rising enough, despite what truly was outstanding, professional and attentive care at our local Montrose hospital. I didn’t have a ride back home to check in and settle my older children through my little one’s unexpected and now distant hospitalization (that turned out very well). It is Sunday morning. I am a minister. Everybody’s in church. What do I do?

Alicia, our nurse, says, “Let me see what I can do.”

Ten minutes later, I meet Julie, a social worker. One hour later, I did what Julie’s paper told me to do. I go to an exit and hand a driver named Carl the voucher Julie gave me. Door to door, I am home two hours later.

I want to thank both Alicia and Julie. I am filled with joy at what you did.

I also want to thank those at the Janet Weis Children’s Hospital in Danville. I am filled with joy at with what you do for thousands each year.

I left my baby in the care of what I would swear on a Bible is the BEST medical team for little ones. I didn’t fret while I was away from my baby. I didn’t worry. I had the nothing-will-stop-me goal of getting back to the hospital as soon as possible, of course, and I did get back to the hospital as soon as possible.

This is a secular paper. Not everyone reading this acknowledges, aligns or even talks to God. But I am saying here, loudly and clearly, that I am thankful to God for those mentioned here who love and care.

There’s more. I also hope you thank God for those in your life who love and care.

It is a Happy Thanksgiving, everyone. It is a time to thank God for those in your life who love and care.