This is My Daily Journal and today is Thursday, February 15, 2018. I hope you all had a super duper warm and fuzzy Valentine’s Day yesterday – I know we did – and I hope you will let that be ‘only the beginning’ of doing sweet and unexpected things – if that’s something you don’t do on a regular basis.
I had a story that I was going to tell this morning – and it’s a kind of strange – but yet – warm and fuzzy story – but considering the horrific events in Parkland, Florida yesterday – I don’t feel this is the time to be telling funny stories so we’ll hold that off for a day or so.
SO for today – let’s talk for a minute about what happened at that school yesterday – and see if we can’t figure out how this can be prevented – from now on. I personally think the answer is very simple.
Let me explain –
In the early to mid 2000’s – old Bro Tony – my church pastor at that time – put me in charge of finding a couple families to help at Christmas time since I was church treasurer.
I asked – even from my piano bench during church – for assistance with this – because even though our funds had grown tremendously in just the very few years he had been with us and our tiny little church had acquired mega thousands in our treasury – I didn’t want to be the one solely responsible for spending church money – but no one stepped forward to help.
SO what can you do? If no one wants to help ‘give’ – you just do what you can and I had no clue who I was going to find for us to help – or what we would do for them.
On Monday morning I picked up the local newspaper – and there was an article in there from the principal of one of our local county schools and she was asking for help for her kids and their families at Christmas time. She said they were a very poor community – and some of the families really needed help with toys and even a meal for Christmas day.
I was thinking she was probably talking about 2-3-4 families – so I called her and said our church would like to help and asked what she needed specifically.
She said that since that weekly paper had come out a few days before – folks had stepped forward and she had the toys covered – but she still needed help with their Christmas meals and not one person had offered help there. I said “OH that’s GREAT – Our church will DO that – how many families do you have that need a Christmas meal?” (still thinking she was only talking about a very few families on the meals) She said “FORTY TWO!!!!!” :-0 I said “OH my GOODNESS – I was thinking you was going to say just a couple or so – but we can’t help some and not the others – let me see what I can do and I’ll call you back yet today. (because it was now just days before Christmas and there was no time to waste.”
SO – I got off the phone and called the owner of one of our small grocery stores near this school and told him of my situation and said “IF you and I can work out a deal – I’d like to get gift certificates for a Christmas meal – for all of these families and get them from your store – because the principal also told me that many of these families don’t even have but one vehicle – if that – to even DO grocery shopping.”
He said “YES!!! Let’s DO this – I’d LOVE to help! Let ME do some figuring and I’ll call you back before noon – and I’ll give you the best deal I possibly can on gift certificates to cover the meal for 42 families for Christmas dinner.”
This wonderful warm hearted store owner called me back at noon and he said “Could you handle buying $25 gift certificates for all 42 of these families and specify they can buy food items only – and if you can do that – I’ll donate a small turkey or ham – of their choosing – to each family just from my store.” He said “That way they can have necessities they may need – veggies to go with their ham or turkey and also maybe snack foods for the kids during their Christmas break and your cost would be $930.00” :-0
I was thinking “OH my GOODNESS – I THINK Bro Tony was expecting me to spend about $50 to $100 – but he and I had really hit it off from day one when he came to us – and when he first came – our little church was so poor – we couldn’t even pay him for the first 3 months – because we had to use our little bit of money – just to keep the lights and heat on. And now just a few years later – we had already acquired close to 20K – give or take a thousand.
SO I said “YES – we’ve been blessed beyond measure over the last few years and YES we will buy 42 gift certificates at $25 each.
He said “Give me 24 hours and I’ll have them ready for you – you can pick them up in the morning.
I picked up those gift certificates – and came home and put together big envelopes with some extra’s in each one – tied each one in a big red bow and delivered them to the school for the principal to hand out to the parents.
HOWEVER – when I got to that little school – almost in the boonies – and 15 or so years before school shootings were so – almost common place – I had to BUZZ A BUZZER to let them know someone was outside the door needing in. AND EVEN THEN – the door did not open so I could walk right in – with my gift certificates and possibly an elephant gun hidden under my coat – but THE PRINCIPAL came to the door to personally greet me and let me in.
OH and just a quick note – Bro Tony was absolutely overjoyed with what our church had done for all 42 of these families – He said “Sister Kay – I’ll never hesitate to put you in charge of anything – and he didn’t” LoL During his 12 or so years with us – I was treasurer – secretary most of that time – church custodian – events planner – food pantry coordinator – church pianist and so much more …
But LISTEN – – – THAT IS THE ANSWER!!! Metal detectors at all school doors – a responsible adult STANDING AND GREETING each student or anyone who walks in those doors BEFORE school starts – and NO ONE comes in during school hours – without being personally let in by someone personally investigating why they want in and seeing to each situation one on one …
WHY IN THE NAME OF PETER PAUL AND MARY – are lunatics still able to walk up to a school and walk in the FRONT DOOR – with GUNS – after 18 school shootings in one school year?
I could go on and on about this –
We can put a man on the MOON – but we can’t keep a mentally imbalanced TEENAGER from going in and shooting up a whole SCHOOL?
Doesn’t make a lick of sense to ME –
It’s random acts of kindness week and I’m just going to mention that briefly to you – because I know from past experience with my writings – that not many people are INTO – doing random acts of kindness … lol AND they SURE don’t want to READ about it … lol
Kim said “Mom be sure and write about Random Acts of Kindness this week – because it’s Random Acts of Kindness WEEK” I said “WHAT?? You want our ratings to go DOWN? People don’t want to talk about being nice to other people OR read about it … what a shame –
We’ll get back to warm and fuzzy tomorrow – Prayers for all the devastated families – all across our great country – that have dealt with all these horrific and so very preventable – tragedies …