Ray’s Daily
January 10, 2022
“Love and kindness are never wasted. They always make a difference. They bless the one who receives them, and they bless you, the giver.”
Barbara De Angelis.
One of the realities faced by the elderly is the frequent loss of acquaintances, friends and loved ones due to death. While most live full lives and die due to natural causes far too many have passed after bouts of the virus.
In my experience it is the kindness of others that help mitigate our grief. Here is a story that reminded me of the value of those who offer us their support during difficult times.
I Was So Blessed By The Kindness Of A Stranger And I Will Never Forget It
Do you find that sometimes an act of kindness or compassion can so completely take us by surprise, that we don’t notice it’s significance until later – when it’s too late to express our gratitude? It happened to me a couple of months back and I don’t think it would be right to keep it to myself! I was so blessed by the kindness of a stranger and I will never forget it.
In May, my friend died by suicide. We were very close. We had met in hospital when we were being treated for mental illness, so we connected deeply and stayed in contact as support for each other after being discharged. His death was a shock as he seemed to be doing ok. I was gutted. We didn’t have any friends in common so I felt extremely anxious about going to his funeral on my own. However, I wouldn’t have missed it for the world. His family contacted me after reading a tribute I wrote and asked if it was OK to have it read out as part of the service, I was honoured.
The day of the funeral was cold, windy and rainy but that didn’t stop hundreds of people turning out. As I stood surrounded by so many strangers, the tears flowed continuously down my face. When I saw his coffin and the pain in the eyes of his parents I began to panic. It was all too much for me to bear, I felt like I couldn’t breathe. I needed to escape. I started to look around me for a gap in the crowd, when my eyes met those of a lady about the age of my mum.
She must’ve seen my anxiety, she simply said “You’re here alone too hey?” with a knowing look and a warm smile. All I could do was nod and bite my lip to hold back tears. She said she didn’t know him personally, but she was there on behalf of her daughter who couldn’t attend. She took my hand and said “Don’t worry, just stick with me and we can do this together.” and we did.
She looped her arm through mine, led me into the chapel and found us a seat. She even had extra tissues. As my tribute was read out and I fell apart, she held me tight and whispered “he knew you loved him. He loves you so much.” She held my hand as we made our way to place paper cranes on his coffin and told me I was doing so well. At the end of the service, she walked me out and I thanked her for helping me. Then I left.
When I think back to that day, I wish I could have said more to thank her or shown my appreciation. I really believe she was there for a reason that day. I don’t think I could’ve done it without her and I didn’t even get her name. I just want to say thank you from the bottom of my heart.
Author Unknown
~~~
“Compassion isn’t about solutions. It’s about giving all the love that you’ve got.”
Cheryl Strayed.
~~~
~~~
The little country store had a sign warning, “Danger! Beware of dog!” Inside, there was a harmless old hound dog asleep on the floor beside the cash register.
“Is that the dog folks are supposed to beware of?” one customer asked the owner.
“Yep, that’s him.”
“That certainly doesn’t look like a dangerous dog to me. Why in the world would you post that sign?”
“Before I posted the sign, people kept tripping over him.”
~~~
The easiest way to find something lost around the house is to buy a replacement.
~~~
UPS Airlines
Remember it takes a college degree to fly a plane, but only a high school diploma to fix one; a reassurance to those of us who fly routinely in our jobs. After every flight, UPS pilots fill out a form, called a ‘gripe sheet,’ which tells mechanics about problems with the aircraft. The mechanics correct the problems, document their repairs on the form, and then pilots review the gripe sheets before the next flight.
Never let it be said that ground crews lack a sense of humor. Here are some actual maintenance complaints submitted by UPS ‘ pilots (marked with a P) and the solutions recorded (marked with an S) by maintenance engineers.
By the way, UPS is the only major airline that has never, ever, had an accident.
P: Left inside main tire almost needs replacement. S: Almost replaced left inside main tire.
P: Test flight OK, except auto-land very rough. S: Auto-land not installed on this aircraft.
P: Something loose in cockpit S: Something tightened in cockpit
P: Dead bugs on windshield. S: Live bugs on back-order.
P: Autopilot in altitude-hold mode produces a 200 feet per minute descent S: Cannot reproduce problem on ground.
P: Evidence of leak on right main landing gear. S: Evidence removed.
P: DME volume unbelievably loud. S: DME volume set to more believable level.
P: Friction locks cause throttle levers to stick. S: That’s what friction locks are for.
P: IFF inoperative in OFF mode. S: IFF always inoperative in OFF mode.
P: Suspected crack in windshield. S: Suspect you’re right.
P: Number 3 engine missing. S: Engine found on right wing after brief search
P: Aircraft handles funny. (I love this one!) S: Aircraft warned to straighten up, fly right and be serious.
P: Target radar hums. S: Reprogrammed target radar with lyrics.
P: Mouse in cockpit. S: Cat installed.
P: Noise coming from under instrument panel. Sounds like a midget pounding on something with a hammer. S: Took hammer away from midget.
~~~
During a bank robbery, the police chief told the sergeant to cover all the exits so that the robbers couldn’t get away.
Later, the sergeant reports to the chief, “Sorry, sir, but they got away.”
The chief, very angry, says, “I told you to cover all the exits!”
“I did,” replied the sergeant, “but they got away through the entrance.”
~~~
“The trouble with jogging is that by the time you realize you’re not in shape for it, it’s too far to walk back.”
Franklin Jones
~~~
“I think probably kindness is my number one attribute in a human being. I’ll put it before any of the things like courage, or bravery, or generosity, or anything else… Kindness—that simple word. To be kind—it covers everything, to my mind. If you’re kind that’s it.”
Roald Dahl
~~~
Management is not responsible for duplicates from previous dailies. The editor is somewhat senile.
Ray’s Daily has been sent for more than twenty years to people who want to start their day on an upbeat. If you have system overload because of our daily clutter, let me know and I will send you the information via mental telepathy. If you have not been getting our daily you can request to be added by e-mailing me at raykiwsp@comcast.net. Back issues are posted at http://rays-daily,com/ currently there are hundreds of readers from around the world.
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