Things Happen Sometimes...

I just read Walker, Texas Ranger (Chuck Norris's) column and was touched by the story he told of a homeless man. Here is a link to it and I sincerely hope some of you read it. I could tell it to you but it wouldn't be as good as Chuck telling it.

Things do happen sometimes. Chucks' story reminded me of something my mother did when I was a young man.

Here is a picture of Mom about the time I am telling about.

We were in Modesto, my home town, and I was taking my mother somewhere in my car, over to South Modesto, I don't remember exactly where or for what.

As we drove by a bridge, Mom saw a homeless man, a tramp or hobo, whichever you prefer him called. She told me to pull up and stop by him and, with a question mark above my head, I did.

I axed her what she was doing and she answered by getting out and speaking to the man. She asked his name and he told her and she asked where he was going and he replied, he had no place in particular in mind.

Now, you need to remember, this was a long time ago and homeless men were just tramps or winos. But mother didn't worry about such things. She asked the man when he had eaten last and he told her then she told him to get into the car and he did.

My mother is a person who would allow no back-talk from any of her kids, even if they were in their twenties, as I was then. She always knew what was and wasn't right and never found herself needing to ask for advice from anyone.(except God)

When we reached our house, mother told the man to take off his clothes and take a bath while she washed and dried them. She gave him some trousers and a shirt to wear while his dried. She filled the bath tub and he went into the bathroom and did what he was told.

After he had his bath, Mom cooked a chicken and fried some potatoes and made biscuits and, after she said grace, we all ate.

Then we sat and talked for a while while his clothes dried. It was summer and windy and the drying didn't take long.

Then the man asked my mother why she was doing this for him; what did she want from him and she said she was doing it because she thought it needed to be done. She said a 'thank you' would be enough.

After his clothes dried, we took him back to where we picked him up and let him out of the car. He thanked my mother and asked God to bless her and she told him, God had already blessed her.

I never asked her why she did what she did that day. I never thought I needed to.

At the beginning, I said,"Things Happen Sometimes;" It's because of people like my mother (and Chuck Norris) that things do, indeed, happen sometimes.

Later...