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Post by andy on Dec 18, 2007 16:21:42 GMT
What happened today at work really restored my faith in mankind. I was walking across the park opposite where i work with a colleague when a little girl stopped us in our tracks. She must've been 6 or 7 years old and her dad was watching from a few feet away. Well....she handed us a christmas card and whished us happy christmas. We thanked her, whished her happy xmas and went on our way. We got back to the yard and opened the card and it said.... "to the gardeners, thank you for the flowers, thank you for the trees, thank you for the grass and thank you for our lovely park" And inside was a £10 note  We went back out to thank the girl and her dad but they had vanished. Brought a lump to my throat |
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Post by 4pygmies on Dec 18, 2007 16:37:59 GMT
Oh wow! That's really beautiful isn't it? I'm not surprised you were so touched - there are lots of lovely people in the world still but we just don't hear about them.
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Post by Chuckles on Dec 18, 2007 16:39:50 GMT
Andy that is so lovely it gave me a lump too and almost a trickle of a tear, it made me fill upfro sure. It really is lovely  |
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Post by Plocket on Dec 18, 2007 16:52:53 GMT
Oh wow that's wonderful! I could cry after reading that.
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Post by Shrubrose on Dec 18, 2007 17:47:43 GMT
Andy, how marvellous. It's just a little thing isn't it? But what a wonderful gift that father gave his child too when you think about it. Saying 'thankyou', because you never know the good it can do. I wish they could know how happy it made you |
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Post by Weeterrier on Dec 18, 2007 18:31:37 GMT
That was lovely Andy, especially coming through a child. Not a dry eye in the house.  |
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Post by Tig on Dec 18, 2007 19:11:19 GMT
Restores our faith in human nature - we only seem to hear about the 'nasty' things in life! Thanks for sharing Andy (may need to pop down to our local park with a card in the morning  x Tig |
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Post by Barbara on Dec 18, 2007 19:56:06 GMT
thats lovely andy, isn't christmas lovely for bringing out the best i folk |
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Post by Ladygardener on Dec 18, 2007 20:01:18 GMT
What a lovely thing to do, it's good to know that people do appreciate the work you do and can teach such thoughtfullness and respect to their children. ;D
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Post by thecleaninglady on Dec 19, 2007 19:12:33 GMT
That's lovely Andy. It is really nice when someone shows that you are appreciated.
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Post by snowowl on Dec 20, 2007 16:23:05 GMT
What a lovely thing of the little girl and her daddy to do.It was a nice suprise for you all and lets you know you are apreciated. Its a good way to teach children the better things in life to. She will grow up and remember it all.  |
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Post by chickadeedeedee on Dec 21, 2007 0:38:41 GMT
WOW! That was a beautiful gesture and I'm sure you will remember that forever. I had something extraordinary happen to me too. Two weeks ago we were at the store where we usually get our bird supplies and mealworms. I am known there as Mrs. Kramer. (Mike isn't covered with glossy speckled feathers but there you have it. LOL!) Any way .... I picked up some food for our woodpeckers and nuthatch guests and a lady approached me. She says she only feeds seeds for her birds because she's afraid to get more birds coming to her yard for suet or nuts and she may not be able to keep up with the cost of feeding them all. Her concern was that she may start feeding the woodpeckers and they would go hungry when their food is no longer available from her feeders. Yes, the bird feeding business can quickly escalate. (Don't ask how I know this! ) The lady said she had some food and a feeder that she is not using. Would I like to have them? I told her that would be lovely and certainly I'd pay her for the items. She wouldn't hear of it stating she wasn't using them any way. I gave her my business card, thanked her and finished my shopping. I had forgotten about our 4 minute encounter at the store until yesterday. In comes this generous lady with a huge bag of things for our birds. Two wire baskets to hold the suet, a feeder to hold peanuts, a feeder for small seeds like thistle for the goldfinches, and three hopper type feeders for larger seeds! There was also a bag of seeds and two packages of suet. All fresh. All new and still in the original wrappings from various stores! I had been on the phone when she came and the bag was left for me and she was gone! There was a beautiful Christmas card inside and among other things she said she thought our birds would like "a few more" feeders so she bought more supplies for me! What an extraordinary lady to randomly pick me for her generosity! I filled her feeders and hung them all outside... needing to start hanging the feeders on more trees. She did leave her address. I'll send her a huge thank you note plus a gift card for the bird food store so she could purchase the kind of seeds her birds enjoy. Hmmmmmm. There are nice people out there. Her feeders were filled, hung on the trees and the birds are very thankful. There was a Downy Woodpecker at each of the seven suet feeders! ;D So that's my story. May you all be the recipients or extenders of similar gestures. |
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Post by 4pygmies on Dec 21, 2007 7:25:33 GMT
That's wonderful isn't it? There are so many beautiful things such as these two acts happening but we never hear of them - the news is full of death, doom and destruction instead. It may be the time of year finally getting to me but I do feel quite tearful after reading this thread ;D I sincerely believe in 'paying it forward': someone does something kindly to you and you reciprocate by another generous act to someone else, that way good things are spread around and affect many more people. Sob......  |
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Post by Deleted on Dec 22, 2007 15:36:06 GMT
Those stories have really cheered me up, so much doom & gloom around
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Post by flowersfriend on Dec 23, 2007 17:30:03 GMT
How lovely..... it warms my heart,. Why can't more people be like that? Somebody once told me, what you give, you get back, only more so. I enjoy giving its a lot easier than taking.
Changing the subject , hope you don't mind, Chickadee what does LOL that stand for??? Is is love of life, just guessing....
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Post by Plocket on Dec 23, 2007 18:24:03 GMT
LOL stands for "laugh out loud" Flowersfriend |
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Post by andy on Dec 23, 2007 18:45:02 GMT
Well hopefully i've returned a bit of that kindness.
We have a Japanese student staying with us until the end of March. There's about 40 in her group and most stay locally.
Well she's been telling me of a friend of hers who is staying with an English host family in Lewes and they are being very unkind. If she's not home by 8pm, her dinner goes in the bin....that kind of thing.
So our student bought her friend home today and said she would be alone on xmas day. There was obviously no time wasted in inviting her to our house for xmas day....dinner, tea and she can even stay the night if she wants....her host family are going out and won't be taking the student with her.
Really looking forward to it too and they've promised to speak in English ;D Hopefully we can turn it into a xmas to remember for the pair of them
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Post by thecleaninglady on Dec 23, 2007 20:49:44 GMT
Oh, Andy. How sad that this young girl is being treated this way by her host family. Are they not checked before they take on these students, or during the time they are with them? I am sure they will both have a wonderful day with you and your family, and at least she will realise that not everyone is as unkind as the people she has unfortunately been placed with. Hope that you all have a wonderful Christmas xx   |
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Post by Biggles on Dec 26, 2007 20:12:45 GMT
Andy, What a lovely gesture to invite another guest to your home on Christmas day--
I do hope you had a very good day and I am sure your guests will remember this Christmas with you for years to come--
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Post by chickadeedeedee on Dec 26, 2007 23:53:56 GMT
Awesome, Andy! |
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x Tig
