GOOD FOLKS:
We don't usually eat breakfast out, but last week Yvette had to get a blood test and you know how that goes. No food or drink after midnight. So, we stopped at the Triple D Diner (formerly Toys). We placed our order, the food arrived along with the tab. We had nearly finished when the waitress came over and picked up the tab and took it to the register. She returned and said: "The man with the orange jacket, who just left, paid for your breakfast. He does this all the time." Here's a Good Folk who is happy and enjoys what he is doing anonymously. As Paul Harvey would say: "Now for the rest of the story": This is the third time this happened to us during the last year. We were in Cracker Barrel one evening and an anonymous party bought our dinner; another evening it was at the Gondola Restaurant. I was not wearing anything that indicated I was a veteran either, so it couldn't have been that. Just in the event this might be someone who reads what I write: "Thank You".
This started me thinking about all the wonderful Good Folks we have met since moving from New Jersey 26 years ago. I hesitate to select anyone in particular because every one deserves our appreciation but there are a couple I would like to comment on. One that came to mind immediately was Butch Burgess. Butch recently retired after 16 years as Sheriff of Cumberland County. Butch weighs in somewhere between 499 and 500 pounds. His body weight is around 250 pounds and he has a 250 pound heart to match it. Crossville is a beautiful little city located in a beautiful part of Tennessee. Unfortunately, it is also the center for many methamphetamine labs in private homes, often occupied with small children and babies. In such cases, the children are removed immediately, wrapped in clean blankets brought in by the police and taken to social services.
The children are bathed and outfitted in new garments, often provided by Butch and his wife, Vickie. The couple often keep some children in their home until a suitable location is found.
Some 15 or so years back, the Crossville Carving Cub invited Butch to speak at one of our monthly meetings. He mentioned that his dream was to have a Halfway House where these Meth children could be housed and taken care of until a suitable home was found for them. We decided we would carve a hundred Snowman Christmas Tree ornaments as a Club project. We did and the Hallmark Card Shop agreed to handle the sale of the ornaments for $10.00 each. In no time they were sold and we invited Butch back to present to him a check for $1000.00. Then, a remarkable thing happened. Butch told us that he needed exactly that mount to close on a house the next day that would turn out to be the House of Hope. He continued that he did not know where he was going to get that amount of money so it was like Dollars from Heaven. And, I know it was exactly that.
Another couple was Sam and Ethel Pugh. The Pughs were one of the first Good Folks we met when moving to Mayland. In their younger years they took in a number of foster children. Ethel related the following story to me: One of their charges was a three-year old girl and her brother, Jack. Jack was a crawler and he loved to open the lower kitchen cupboard doors and pull all the pots and pans out into the middle of the room. One day when Ethel was preoccupied with the girl, Jack was up to his usual pastime and when Ethel and the little girl returned, she said to the little girl: "What are we going to do with Jack?" The reply was: "We'll just have to keep him and love him." And, that's what they did, of course.
Another Good Folk we met before even coming to Crossville was Boyd Raper. If it wasn't for Boyd, we may never have moved to Crossville. We had purchased our previous Tennessee home in Mayland, thinking we might some day retire and move here. We were not yet ready, so we asked Mr. Raper if he would handle the rental. He agreed, but after looking at the property, he said he would have no problem renting it, but anyone he rented it to would destroy it, and he didn't want that responsibility on his shoulders. We agreed and decided we would pack up and move down as soon as possible. Who knows where we would have ended up if that decision had not been made. I know I would have missed one of he greatest joys in my life. There is no doubt that my Sheltering Angel was looking after me, as She has done during my lifetime.
I don't know how many people read what I write. It's not important. I write for my own elucidation and, it keeps me out of the barrooms. Talking about that, many years ago, before your time, there was a men's, magazine called True. In one of the editions there was a cartoon featuring two fishing buddies, in a boat, drinking beer. A case of beer was on the middle seat, and their fishing poles hanging languidly over the side. Now, that's the picture of two true fishermen. The caption, below the cartoon, read: "I went through ten doctors before I found one with the right prescription". This is important because a few days ago, the exact same thing happened to me. How lucky can one get. Only the Shadow knows.
I got a little off-subject there so, I must be running out of space and will continue with Good Folks a bit later. (Copyright 2014-Andrew M. Dolan)
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