On doing unto others…

Something has been on my mind that I want to share with you, it’s not political, nor a rant, just an observation and a thought… are you with me?

Every day we discard garbage, trash, things we no longer need…everything from tissues to dirty diapers (which happens a lot here). We put it in big plastic bags, take them out to the big garbage cans in the yard, turn around to go in and forget about it.

What happens to it? Does it magically disappear?

What happens is that, at least at my house, two men run down the driveway and back up carrying with them a week’s worth of all the bad things in our house of which we wanted to be rid.

I have seen them come and go in all types of weather, from the frigid and sometimes ice or snow to the blazing hot summer, so hot it looks like steam is rising from the asphalt of my driveway.

I was thinking of my own grandpa who as an immigrant from Armenia, picked up people’s junk and garbage to keep food on the table for his five sons and one daughter. Many of my relatives did that in the Los Angeles, Ca. area and from their little wagons started businesses that became great companies and they made millions doing the jobs others didn’t want to do.

I had been thinking about wanting to thank these men somehow and I got the opportunity last week.

As I was pulling out of my driveway the garbage truck stopped, leaving me room to get out, I pulled up alongside of it and an older gentleman was standing in the street. I rolled down my window the cold air was blowing in, I said, “Hello!” The man started to apologize about them forgetting to pick my garbage up last week, telling me he had been out sick, and the other driver didn’t know… I held up my hand, “I didn’t stop to complain, I just wanted to thank you guys for all you do, it is so cold out today I know I wouldn’t want to have to be out, thank you so much!” As I said that I started clapping my hands in applause and the big smile that eased the lines in his face was so big and so warm that I felt it bring warmth to my very insides. Pulling away, I could see him in my rearview mirror, standing there looking after me, still smiling.

It did me much more good than it did to him.

Jesus said, “Do unto others as you would have them do unto you” Luke 6:31