I picked up a family from Kingdom Hall. As soon as I pulled into the parking lot, I had a random thought, “I am so glad that I always answer the door when Jehovah’s Witnesses ring my doorbell really early in the morning.” I have to admit that I used to see them outside putting their visiting strategy together and I would hide inside my apartment so that I did not have to stand there, barely awake, and try to listen out of respect as they asked me questions. I finally began to think that it could not be easy to knock on so many closed doors so I decided to open my door when they rang my doorbell. The thought left my head as quickly as it had entered. Once I arrived, I watched as the young man struggled to put the car seat into the back seat of my car. I joked, “You should get a degree for figuring those things out. “ We both laughed as he added, “…or at least a certificate.” Once everyone was inside my car, I turned and I smiled at the little girl sitting in the back seat; she just stared at me, without the slightest hint of a smile. I kept smiling, turned around and started to drive. Her mother tried to explain that she needed a nap and was probably grumpy because it had been a long afternoon. All of a sudden, I heard a small voice from the back seat demand, “I want to hear some music!” Her mother hardly waited for the end of the young girl’s command before she said in a melodic tone that almost sounded like she was singing, “What did I say about how to ask for things nicely?” The little girl, as if she already knew she had used the wrong tone, quickly corrected herself and asked in a sweeter, softer tone, “I want to hear some music, please.” I reached for the radio and a slight panic smacked me as I realized that most of the songs on the radio are…well…shall we say…for grown-ups. I was truly under a great deal of self-imposed pressure at this moment. I chose a country station to which the little girl abruptly replied, “I don’t like that!” Her mother must have looked at her because she added in a low whisper, Thank you!” I then chose a jazz station and she quickly said with a tone that sounded like she had a pout on her face, “That’s scary!” We all chuckled softly as I turned to another station where the song’s intro was beautiful, but I knew it was getting ready to change into a “not suitable for children” song so I quickly changed it. The father said, “That sounded like a nice song!” to which I replied, “It starts out nice, but it does not stay that way” and I giggled under my breath. It became my personal mission to find some appropriate music for this adorable girl before we reached their destination. Finally, as we pulled up to their street, Whitney Houston’s voice came rushing out of my speakers like a melodic wind that filled the car “Oh, I wanna dance with somebody…” When I stopped, I turned around, crossed my fingers, and asked, “Do you like this song?” Without the slightest smile, she nodded her head up and down as she began to kick the back of the front seat to keep time with the music (yeah, she was kicking my brand new seats). I ignored her kicks because I was so ecstatic that I had found a song that she liked. Then I started to sing to her. That is when I saw the little corners of her mouth make a slight turn upward almost as if it was against her will. “A smile, I finally got a tiny smile” I thought as I kept singing. By this time, she was nodding her head and kicking her feet in time with the music. I felt like clapping…wait, I did clap as I kept singing to her. Her father gently lifted her out of the car seat, but she looked back at me the whole time. My mission was complete and I knew she would not soon forget that ride. Feeling overjoyed, I drove down the street rocking my head from side to side, bouncing in my seat and singing through a huge smile, “Oh, I wanna dance with somebody…with somebody who loves me….”
Tag Archives: acapella
One Happy Meal
A few days ago, I was driving home. It was dark and I decided to go to McDonald to get a happy meal (I keep the toys for the kids’ baskets that I make at Christmas). As I drove up, there was a choice of two lanes to drive through. I squinted at the menu and in the first lane there was a woman huddled under the sign clutching her belongings close to her chest. I decided to go to the other ordering station, but while I sat there, I started to feel ashamed. What was wrong with me? I had intentionally avoided someone who was in need. I lost my appetite, but I went through the drive-thru and ordered a happy meal anyway. I circled back around to see if she was still there and she was gone. I shook my head and just sat there. How could I have been so selfish? I was disappointed in myself and then I stopped thinking about myself and did what I do best…find people. I looked over to my left and saw the shadow of a small woman walking slowly through the parking lot with her head held down like she was watching her feet. I secretly prayed this was her. I drove slowly up to her, rolled down my window and asked her if she was hungry. She turned and said she was so I gave her the food. She thanked me for the food and immediately went over and squatted beneath a nearby tree. She looked down, placed her belongings closely beside her and began eating slowly as she looked around in the darkness. You could barely see her squatting there in the shadow of the tree that kept the luminosity of the street light from giving her away. I learned a valuable lesson from that encounter. Sometimes, it does not matter if you hesitate to do something right as long as you do it.
A Song for Twenty Strangers
I was standing in line chatting with the customers and humming along with Muzak. When I got up to the window, I heard a very tall and commanding man behind me say, “I thought I heard someone singing.” I turned to him and said with a big smile, “I was humming. You could hear me?” He shook his head in acknowledgement and asked me if I could sing as good as Howard Hewett, who was singing, “This Ring” over the sound system. I smiled at him and said, “Oh, I can sing!” He then said, if you can sing better than Howard, I will give you $20 (wait for it…). The teller was busy typing into the computer so I had time to have the conversation. The man then started to talk about the best fried chicken was…I interrupted and said, “Don’t try to change the subject, I was getting ready to sing.” The people in line laughed and waited for me to begin. I started to sing, “Who’s Loving You,” as I slowly walked toward him and reached for the $20 that he had peeled from a large wad of cash. The people in line were smiling and the tellers were smiling and the manager walked out to listen. The man gave me the $20 after I successfully hit the high note at the end of the song and said, “I bet she didn’t know that she would be getting this $20 at the credit union today.” To which I replied, “No, I didn’t, but I did know that I would receive a blessing today because God is good!”. Everyone looked happy even the people who were standing in line with serious faces before I sang. I walked out waving and said, “I’ll be here all week!” I could hear people laughing as I walked out. As I drove off, a lady was walking to her car and she gave me this huge smile and I smiled back. I have been a member of this credit union since 1981 and this is the first time I have sung in their lobby. Who knows, it might not be the last.