A Much Needed Laugh

There seems to be a rule in our house: the earlier we wake up, the later we will be for our first appointment. My logical side thinks that doesn’t make sense, but it happens often enough that it is hard to dispute.

For instance, my mother’s air conditioning unit stopped working during the night. That is a really big deal in South Carolina. The repairman came very early to help her and they decided to call us to deliver the bad news. Early there is even 3 hours earlier here in Oregon. Now that we were awake so early, Tim and I thought we had lots of time to get things done before leaving the house for an appointment with the car mechanic. I had planned to drop off my gift at the Pumpkin Patch on the way.

Even though it is “road construction” season in Klamath Falls and our neighborhood roads are being sealed, we didn’t expect to be stopped by a flagger when we reached the main highway.

I sat in the car for a couple of minutes before asking the flagger how long we would be stopped. She said, “Only about ten minutes.” I asked if she encounters a lot of irritated people. She said, “Yesterday a woman was stopped in the line of cars and motioned for me to come to her car. The woman asked how long it would be because she had a doctor’s appointment 70 miles away in Medford. She didn’t want to be late so she wanted me to ask the work crew to hurry and let them through.”

Without missing a beat the flagger said, “Sure, I’ll ask them.” She doesn’t have any control over the work they are doing. After a few minutes the flagger said to the impatient motorist, “I asked them and they said they will hurry to help you out. It will only be ten minutes.” The woman excitedly said, “Thank you so much.” Of course, it was the same ten minutes that it would have been otherwise.

Because of the delay, I had to travel out of my way to drop off today’s gift—two hairdryers and clothes to the Pumpkin Patch. The proceeds from selling items in the store support the Gospel Mission homeless shelter. Instead of being one of those irritated motorists, the flagger’s story gave me a much-needed laugh. That helped me remember that my troubles pale in comparison to those who are homeless.

In Giving,

Robin