When customers who have been zealous Contributor supporters and regularly stop for a paper suddenly disappear without warning, I often find myself wondering what happened to them.
Usually shortly after that, either they, a relative, or a friend will inevitably stop by my corner and give me an update on how they’re doing and let me know what’s going on.
That happened recently when Mark (though he said I could call him ‘the Big Orange Guy‘) stopped for a visit. I was curious about the nickname, asking: ‘are you a UT fan?’
He said no, pointing to his car which is orange, he said ‘orange is my favorite color.’
(Like Larry, another regular customer of mine you’ve read about in the paper, he too used to deliver flowers for the In Full Bloom flower shop.
He said he hadn’t seen me in over a year. Why? His family have moved to the Joelton/Pleasant View/Ashland City area so he is rarely in Hermitage these days, but when he is, he says he ALWAYS looks for me. How sweet!
So what brought him out my way that day?
He now makes deliveries for a local farm to table outfit in the Goodlettsville/Madison area, and he was making deliveries in Hermitage.
Since it had been SO long since we’d seen each other, I gave him a variety of back issues of the paper I had on hand.
Though he paid me in cash, he was surprised to learn that we now take Venmo, and that he can get a subscription to the paper since he’s no longer in the area regularly and according to him, there are no vendors out his way. I guess I’ll have to wait and see how that turns out.
Another example of an absolutely beautiful soul is Ms. Libby.
Over the past few years, she’s given me a number of hats, gloves, coats, a variety of things to keep me warm and toasty particularly at the change of the seasons, and she encouraged others to do the same.
One day after seeing me trudge through the water ponding along the side of the road at my spot, she stopped by with a special gift-a shiny brand new pair of rain boots along with some much needed dry socks.
I wasted no time, I put them on immediately!
A few days later, she stopped again when she noticed I wasn’t wearing them.
I hung my head as I told her that they leaked.
She took the soggy shoes back to the store to find a better pair. Now that’s pretty sweet! Isn’t it?
It’s worth noting that she continued to do ALL these nice things for me even though I kept getting her name wrong. I called her Miss Ellie for the longest time, (like the matriarch from the Dallas TV show,) perhaps because her demeanor, the way she carried herself, or maybe it’s the way she’d whip into the parking lot in her little red convertible always dressed to the nines-it definitely made a lasting impression!
Then one day, I asked to be sure because I was on planning to write about her in an upcoming issue of the paper, and she corrected me saying her name was Libby-like Libby’s, Libby’s, Libby’s on the label label label (referring to an old jingle that goes back to 1971.)
I haven’t seen her in quite some time now, and I‘ve wondered what happened to her.
Then one day, I left my house without coffee (and that just doesn’t happen often,) so I decided to stop at Waffle House to get some before getting started.
As I was fixing my coffee, a gentleman in the corner booth spoke up and said: ‘my mom Carolyn and her husband Ray stop for you from time to time in a red SUV, and so does her friend Libby.’
That stopped me in my tracks! Now smiling from ear to ear, I walked over to his table and told him many of the nice things she’d done for me and explained ‘I wondered what had happened top her!’
He told me exactly where to find her, saying that she’d recently went to the doctor/hospital for routine tests and they discovered 2 aneurysms!
She was admitted and had immediate brain surgery and they thought they’d repaired the problem.
Shortly after returning home, her housekeeper found her barely conscious on the floor turns out, she had developed a brain bleed.
She is currently in the rehab department of the local hospital in Hermitage.
He said her short term memory is completely gone, but her long-term memory is intact.
Hopefully I’ve been around long enough for her to remember me, but if not, I know I will ALWAYS remember her!
As always, I ask ALL loyal readers of The Contributor to lift her up in your prayer as James 5:16 says in part: ‘‘pray for one another that you may get healed. A righteous man’s supplication has a powerful effect.”
These are just 2 examples of individuals who have helped me through my trials and tribulations, and I am truly thankful for both of them!
But know this, each reader of The Contributor has the capability to do that for someone else, through acts great and small.
Remember, every little bit helps, and I am certain that ANY VENDOR you choose to help will be just as thankful for your acts of kindness and generosity toward them.