It Doesn’t Take Much Sometimes
On the Saturday before Thanksgiving Day, Donna and I were in Cookeville, Tennessee to watch our granddaughter who lives there in her final performance as Maria in The Sound of Music. I had no idea that I would get an idea for a post while we were there, but I did.
As we were leaving, I noticed a man just slightly in front of me and in a position where I could say something to him. I probably would not have said anything except for the fact that his long white hair and beard made him look like a certain “jolly old elf.” He wasn’t quite as portly as that fellow, but, other than that, he certainly reminded me of him.
I jokingly asked him if he shouldn’t be up north making toys. He laughed and said that he was looking for people who were on “the nice list.” As we both laughed, he reached into his pocket and handed me the plastic “coin” in the picture above. If you can’t read the words on it, here is the message:
I met Santa.
I made the nice list.
I’ve thought a lot about that incident since then. It was only a brief moment, but I’m still thinking about it as I type these words. I wondered whether this man who doesn’t even know my name would have given me anything at all if he really knew me. I wonder if he had a lump of coal in another pocket that I might have received.
I’ve also thought about the fact that it doesn’t take much for a couple of people to make a positive impression on one another. As I learned (or maybe was reminded of) as I was walking out of a theater, making a positive impression may only take enough effort to interact with another person. Fortunately, two people were willing to do that and both left the theater smiling.
One of us has the proof!
AUTHOR: Jim Faughn
