RSS FeedMiracles do happen……..
My father is 54 years old and married a Filipino woman 20 something years younger than him. Together, they had my sister Katelyn who is 5 years old. My father has been out of work for about a year now with back problems, and has been worried about how that will affect Katelyn’s Christmas this year.
Last year, my father purchased a Christmas tree for $30, so he put aside $30 this year to get the tree. However, after going to multiple stores and tree stands, he was unable to find a tree cheaper than $40. He decided to make one last stop at the local Home Depot before heading home. Again, the cheapest tree that he could find was $40 and they only had 3 trees left. He hunted down a Home Depot employee and asked if they were going to be getting any more trees, and the employee told him to come in first thing the next day. Upon my Dad’s arrival, he found that they had indeed recieved more trees, but they were only the $40 + ones. He found the Home Depot employee again and asked if he could please save the cuttings for him and that he would come and pick them up later that night. (Don’t ask…..My Dad has some cockamamy idea that he was going to build his own tree with the cuttings).
Dad went back to Home Depot that night and found the employee to see if he had saved the cuttings. He had saved them, and then stated that he still didn’t understand why my father wanted them. My dad explained that he was unable to afford a tree this year and had promised never to have an artificial tree in his house, so he was going to make one. The employee looked at my dad and handed him a $50 bill and said that he was going to buy the tree this year. (He even let Katelyn pick it out) After my dad purchased the tree, he went to give the guy back the change and he would not accept it.
That night, they were baking Christmas cookies, and Dad decided that he wanted to bring some to the Home Depot guy as a thank you. He went in on two different nights, but the guy was not working. So, dad decided to talk to his manager about the wonderful gift that he had provided and to drop off the cookies.
About half an hour ago, dad received a phone call from the home depot guy. After the manager heard my dad’s story and how the employee purchased the Christmas tree for Katelyn, he decided to start a collection for Katelyn’s Christmas presents.
It is so wonderful to see strangers helping strangers, ecspecially at this time when the economy is not looking all that great. People like Paul, his manager, and the Home Depot team know what the true meaning of Christmas is and shared that with my family.
