Bob CollinsHere’s today’s moment of sweetness.
It comes from Kenyon, Minn., police chief Lee Sjolander’s Facebook page, which we told you about yesterday.
There are still good people out here…
Given all the sadness and negativity around so many of us, I thought I would share a story of what took place here yesterday and today.
I stop at a home yesterday to visit with a person, and while I am there, they give me a cash donation and tell me to “Do what you guys do best, help someone.” I thank them, and leave. I put the money in the cup holder of my squad and go about my day.
I get a call in the late afternoon from a person who tells me they’re having vehicle issues and they don’t know what to do. I ask where they are, they are on a busy road, so I head out to see if I can be of assistance, or at least give them some emergency lighting while we figure out what to do.
I arrived on scene, along with a deputy friend of mine, and after looking at the situation, I decide it’s way safer to have this vehicle towed in. It’s dark out, this vehicle is on a curve, in a no passing zone, and it’s out in the traffic lane.
I tell the driver that we will have to have the vehicle towed in. I can tell by the look on their face, that this is going to be a problem. They tell me they can’t afford this right now, and with the holidays coming they’re not sure what to do. Just then, I remembered the money that was sitting in my squad. I told them it was going to be fine, and we waited for the tow truck.
The tow truck driver shows up, he’s a friend of mine. I tell him real quietly to tow the vehicle in and we’ll figure out the payment once we’re there. He gives me a smile, hooks up the vehicle, and heads for town.At the shop, I give him the cash that was in my cupholder. I ask him to put it towards the tow and repair. I have to leave right away, because as usual, I’m late for an important dinner date with Mrs. Chief.
End of story… Not quite.
My tow truck driver friend comes in today and wants to visit. He walks up to me and gives me the money back that we gave him last night. He tells me he spoke to his boss and once he explained the situation, they decided to donate what they did last night on one condition…. They ask that I give this person the money to go towards getting more repairs done on their car. I thank him and he leaves.
I called the person who we helped last night and give them the good news. I could tell over the phone how happy they were and we dropped the money off this evening.
Lots of people do amazing things every day and unfortunately, it goes unnoticed. I wanted to share their story with you as a reminder that good people are still around doing great deeds for their fellow man.
Stay safe,
Lee
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