Skip to main content

Kindness



On Monday, my friend Danny Joe died.

Danny Joe and his wife, Jo Ann, were auction fanatics, just like Hub and me, so we were always seeing each other.  He loved fishing and was usually looking for vintage fishing equipment at auctions. 


He always had a smile to share, and he always had a pocket full of candy.  Anytime you met Danny Joe, he would have a piece of candy for you.  In my case, it was usually cinnamon disks or lemon drops, my favorite.  Sometimes, a small piece of candy and the kindness with which its given is a large thing.


Kindness, like courtesy and manners, is not as common as it used to be.


Several years ago, on the day after Thanksgiving, I attended an estate auction that had several quilts I wanted to buy.  The day started out clear and balmy, but a north wind blew in and I was not dressed properly for it.  I was standing outside, trembling from the cold, thinking I was going to have to leave before the quilts came up, when Danny Joe slipped his coat off and gave it to me.  He assured me that he had on quilted coveralls and was too hot with that big coat on.  I bought the quilts that day but I can't remember which ones they are or what I did with them.  But I will never forget that warm coat on a cold day, and the kindness of a good man.

We'll miss you, Danny Joe.  I don't know if there will be fish fries in heaven, but if there are, I'll look for you there.


But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness. . .Galations 5:22

Comments

  1. So sorry to hear this. Losing a good friend is always difficult.

    Kindness is the word I chose for this year. In this year of elections it seems the word is lost. One of my favorite verses is Be ye kind one to another; learned many years ago in a little Sunday school class on the back seat of a one room country church.

    ReplyDelete

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Holy Smoke Pie

I think it was in the late seventies that I first had Holy Smoke Pie.  It was at a party at Debra Morris Harville's house.  After we ate, Debra had to give the recipe to everyone there.  I came home and made it for my family, and it has been a favorite since then.  I always make it at holiday dinners, because I believe tradition is important.  It has become a favorite of our granddaughters. I've heard it called Chocolate Delight, Four-Layer Chocolate Dessert, and other odd things.  We call it Holy Smoke.  Here is how I make it: Chop us a cup of pecans; set aside. Add a stick of softened butter (NOT margarine) to one cup of self-rising flour. Cut the butter into the flour. Add the chopped pecans, and work it all together. Save two tablespoons of the pecans to sprinkle on top. Pour into a 9" x 12" pan that has been sprayed with cooking oil. Spread it over the bottom of the pan.  It helps to use your hands (o...

Amish in Stantonville, Tennessee

Last week, my sis and her hub went with us to the Amish community near Stantonville, Tennessee.  It was a beautiful day, and we love driving to new places and finding new treasures.  We enjoy these mini-trips we take together, where we giggle a lot and get caught up on everything.  Also, the squirrels ate all our tomatoes, so we needed to find some to buy. You know the food you are buying is fresh when they bring it from the field while you are standing there waiting for it. Here is part of what we brought home, and it was all delicious. Stantonville is located in McNairy County, Tennessee, northwest of Shiloh National Military Park.

Out of the Dirt: Bragg-ing

Like every reader, I have my favorite writers. There have been so many that have stirred my emotions and made me a part of their world, and I'm thankful for that. The one is love the best, the one I cherish , is Rick Bragg. Yesterday, Rick was in our area. We were privileged to see a newly released documentary about his life called Out of the Dirt . Afterwards, he talked to us about family and roots. His first book, All over but the Shoutin' , was recommended to me years ago. Very early in the book, I was thinking, "Who is this? He is writing about me, about my family." I have never actually met anyone in the book, but they are all my neighbors and kinfolks. His other books are just as well-written. In his book, Writing for the Soul , Christian author Jerry Jenkins had this to say about Rick Bragg: I read other writers and strive to be like them. I read others, like Rick Bragg, the Pulitzer Prize-winning New York Times columnist, and simply surrender, knowing I will ...