"Everyone has a gift for something,
even if it is the gift of being a good friend."
-- Marian Anderson
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| Bicycle with red blinking light 8-23-14 |
"May it be a light to you in dark places,
when all other lights go out."
-- J.R.R. Tolkien, The Fellowship of the Ring
My farmer friend Bob is one of the good guys.
I ride past him nearly every day, him in his truck, me on my bike.
Bob always sticks an arm out the window and waves to me.
Bob is a very friendly farmer.
Yesterday when he waved, he motioned for me to stop.
So I looked both ways, did a U-turn and swung over to the his side of the road.
Bob had a gift for me -- a little clip-on, battery-operated blinking red light that flashes on and off, on and off, on and off.
He clipped it onto the back of the tool bag under my bike seat and switched it on.
"It's just a cheap-o," he said. "But it's better than nothin'."
He hugged me there on the roadside, even though I was all sweaty and gross, and sent me on my way.
Bob's gift might seem like a little thing -- just a small, inexpensive item from the hardware store.
But it was a very thoughtful thing.
And now, I'll think of my thoughtful friend whenever I switch on my new blinky taillight.
It's always a good thing to know someone is looking out for you.
And I was touched that my friend thought enough of me to give me a thoughtful gift that will help protect me and keep me safe out on the road.
They say it's the thought that counts.
I say the friend who thought the thought counts even more.
