Gee, thanks

With all the bustle and insanity surrounding the final shopping days of the season, one would assume that strangers, in general, would be less friendly, a bit cranky, or at least more impatient than usual. This week though, I have been happily surprised by the number of folks that have been friendly. Above the norm friendly. For no reason. The kind of friendly, kind gestures that get no reward or mention.... until now. In my blog.

I helped collect donations on a cold Thursday morning last week for Make-A-Wish, my former employer. I held a bucket at a busy intersection and let drivers donate cash and change on their way to school, work, breakfast, etc. No, I don't get credit for the bucket-holding task, it's just fun to work with my old Make-A-Wish friends. It's less volunteering than it is visiting with friends. It's the donors that always warm my heart.

No doubt 1/3 of the drivers on the road that morning were late or had "important" things to do or didn't want to take the time to find cash, but you'd be surprised. Many moms and dads stopped by to let their kids drop a dollar in the bucket. A good lesson at any age, all for a great mission, and a fun task for the kids.

Lone busy-looking men in suits tossed in $10 bills, one mom forked over $40, others dropped in $1's, $5's, whatever they could collect from the seats and consoles. And the recognition was minimal. Just a smile from me and a big "THANKS" yelled as I ran back to the curb to avoid oncoming traffic. The donors drove along - no donation receipt, no one knew their name, no prizes, nothing. Just the good feeling of being generous. Sometimes it means more that these folks drove a different route that morning just to stop by or that they took their time to roll down the window and give a donation.

Good stuff is happening out there, it's just a matter of stopping to look.