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HeroicStories #785: The Gotham Gentleman
Reaching more than 39,000 subscribers in 118 countries, this is...
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HeroicStories #785: 15 January 2009 www.HeroicStories.com
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The Gotham Gentleman Story Editor:
by Rise Keller Joyce Schowalter
Colorado, USA
In early July of 1976, on a six-week road trip around the northeastern
U.S. with my father, stepmother, and little sister, we stayed with my
stepmother's relatives in Pennsylvania. I went roller-skating with the
kids at their local rink. Someone crashed in front of me, I tripped over
them, and my ankle hurt like crazy.
The X-ray revealed a broken leg. I got a cast and crutches. The next leg
of our trip: New York City. At that time NYC had a rough reputation,
and we feared rudeness and difficulty.
A friend's mom hosted us at her tidy, bright Brooklyn apartment for
three days and nights. "Call me Aunt Mary," she insisted, though she'd
never seen us before.
Aunt Mary worked in a publishing house and went to work early every
morning, leaving us with directions, tips for public transportation and
which routes to avoid. We cooked dinners, ate and laughed together in
the evenings after she got home.
My parents had the brilliant idea that sightseeing in the Big Apple
would be far easier if we had a wheelchair. They rented one, and at
subway stations, if anyone was around, they always came to help my
father maneuver my wheelchair up or down the steps.
One of my dreams for our Manhattan visit had been to see Fifth Avenue's
shops with my own eyes, and maybe go to the Metropolitan Museum of Art.
But we had three strikes against us, we learned as we got into the city:
The museum was closed on Mondays, most shops and businesses were closed
for the Fourth of July holiday, and it was raining.
By now we were drenched, so we ducked under the awning of the Gotham
Hotel to decide what to do next. A man had emerged from the hotel and
was about to get into a cab. He saw us and stopped.
"Wait right here!" he said to us. Curious, we waited under the awning,
watching the taxis come and go, picking up and dropping off men in
raincoats with their briefcases and umbrellas.
Two minutes later, he reemerged from the hotel carrying an exotic item:
a collapsible umbrella. He showed my father how to operate it, and
handed it to him.
"For you. Enjoy your visit!" he said, as he hailed a cab.
"We can send it back to you...."
"No, just keep it!"
We thanked the man as he stepped into his taxi and rode off with a wave.
We never saw him again, but his elegance and generosity ended any
remaining fears that we wouldn't be treated gently in New York City.
Even now, every time I see a collapsible umbrella, I think of that
glamorous fellow outside the Gotham Hotel who took the time to do a
small favor -- that made a big difference to us. I'm reminded how the
compassion of people can surprise you, no matter where you are.
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Haitians need shelter -- now.
Help provide it via ShelterBox
A ten-person tent in every box, and much much more:
http://tinyurl.com/ycnesqe
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The link in our ad is for a charity you may not have heard of, with an
amazing track record. Each box contains a tent that will shelter 10
people. We linked to their Canadian web site, which seems to be loading
faster than the UK or USA sites. Here's an update on ShelterBox's
progress today: "930 ShelterBoxes have already been dispatched and are
en route to Haiti while another 1,000 are being packed today at
ShelterBox HQ by ShelterBox's team of volunteers. Virgin Atlantic are
supporting the relief effort by flying hundreds of the ShelterBoxes on
their planes." You may find video of what's in the box here:
http://www.shelterbox.ca/video.html .
Jackie Goddard, author of "The Little Town That Did", (#783) shared with
us details of her family's thanks back to the community. While her
husband Rick was still alive, he said, "There's gonna be a whole lot of
paybacks comin'!" Jackie and Rick published thanks in the local paper,
"Whatever you did, However big or small; A thought, a prayer, A card, a
call, Keeping the dogs, Feeding the cat, Mowing the lawn, A shoulder, a
chat. Family, friends, and neighbors, We can never repay. Treasured in
our hearts, Each and every day. Our Eternal Thanks." (Full story on our
archives: http://heroicstories.com/archives.html .)
Anitra in Florida was reminded of a similar story by "Secret Generosity"
(#781, which took place in 1971. "When my husband's car broke down by
the side of the road in January 2009, a preacher stopped, called the
local Chrysler dealer (the owner was a member of his church) to get a
tow for him, and handed my husband $100.00 to pay for the repairs. We
were both out of work at the time, and my husband's mother had fallen
and broken her hip the month before. The preacher didn't give his name,
and the owner of the dealership was 'in a meeting' when we arrived, so
we couldn't ask him. The cost of the repairs came to $105.00 -- I am
convinced the extra $5.00 was so we didn't have to feel like we were
taking charity. In this day and age of insurance and lawsuits, my
husband did not do any of the work on the car. Similar stories go on --
even today." (Full story on our archives:
http://heroicstories.com/archives.html .)
John in Rhode Island sent an update about his work-place collection for
a food bank this past holiday season. "Thank you for printing my note.
Hopefully it will inspire others to the same. After we received the
anonymous $100.00, donations continued. We surpassed even our highest
expectations, collecting $625.00. When people congratulated me on
collecting so much, I reminded them it was their generosity that made it
all possible."
DELIGHTFULLY HEROIC NEWS STORY: No doubt recently most of us have been
taking in scenes and news from the devastating earthquake in Haiti. To
counteract that, we bring you another in our series of positive news
stories. This story documents two decades of charitable giving by a
single person, in Illinois, USA: http://tinyurl.com/ygzqypj .
Do you have a HeroicStory to tell? We'd love to hear from you, do send
it along. If it needs polishing, we'll do that. Details are on our
website: http://heroicstories.com/submit.html .
Joyce Schowalter, Networker in Chief
Co-Conspirator to Make the World a Better Place
COMMENTS about stories are always welcome -- please include your first
name and location: [contact information]
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