Posted on 12/23/2019 6:32:58 AM PST by MtnClimber
You might be surprised at what you can see and hear while ringing the Christmas Bell for the Salvation Army. These last two weeks, I saw hundreds of people going in and out of our local Walmart, all coming within just a few feet of my Salvation Army Bell and Red Kettle. Soon after I started ringing the bell, a few people stopped to chat, and it was then that I realized that I had a great opportunity to learn some new things. I found that I was in the presence of authentic people living life, who were wanting and striving toward the best life they could create for themselves and their loved ones. Let me share with you a few insights garnered from the people I was lucky enough to meet.
I saw a 60-ish daughter with her 85-ish mom carefully making their way into the store. Mom had a cane in one hand and a firm grip on her daughter's arm with the other hand, slowed down by an ankle that was obviously a bit off center. Clearly, Mom and daughter were on the same page, fighting together to preserve every bit of freedom and mobility Mom could possibly retain.
Several people came out of the store befuddled, as they had no recollection of where they had parked their vehicles. None of them was upset — just amused to be facing another little hill to climb in the pursuit of a well lived life. One clever gentleman had an app on his phone to help him locate his car.
(Excerpt) Read more at americanthinker.com ...
If the left hates the Salvation Army so much then it must be doing very much good.
Chick-fil-a deserves a lump of coal.
“One of my favorite encounters at the Kettle was meeting a middle-aged man who had served as a firefighter in Connecticut. He shared that even if he was fighting a fire on at 3 A.M. in the dead of winter, the Salvation Army would be there as well, serving hot coffee.”
Very uplifting article. Thanks for posting this.
Beautiful.
I need to remember to have some cash in my pocket for the next time I see a kettle.
I rarely carry cash anymore.
I believe it is bad luck to pass a SA kettle without giving. I just won’t do it.
My husband and I have been Christmas SA bell ringers for many years. Love it when little kids put in a donation. They are always so proud of themselves.
” None of them was upset”
Grammar alert.
The kids throwing in change that mom or dad has provided are the best. The smiles and gap toothed grins give me the warm fuzzies.
Over at DU they hate The Salvation Army with a vengeance. Here’s a couple threads representative of their hate. There are many more.
https://www.democraticunderground.com/10027144
https://www.democraticunderground.com/10025856872
Isn’t that correct, as “none” is singular (contraction for no one)?
I rang the bell for them for a couple of Christmases.
I was blown away by the number of people who would put money in the kettle and then thank me for being there. It really restored some lost faith in my fellow man. I would urge everybody to do it at least once.
Thanks, that took me on a little English adventure.
None was missing. (None of the pie was missing.)
None were missing. (None of the cookies were missing. But there may be times when a writer prefers was, as in Not a single one of the cookies was missing.)
Them is plural.
None of your comments are incorrect.
None of this is related to the good works of the Salvation Army.
When my kids were still at home, we had a firm rule that no one could pass a Salvation Army kettle without making a contribution; maybe that bell ringer looked like a nice lady from town, but maybe she was an angel sent from Heaven to reminds us of God’s love.
I remember going by a bell ringer in downtown Seattle and I gave her my standard response (I don’t carry money): Do you take plastic?
To my horror, she said “yes”. So she pulls out this bulky card reader machine, but can’t get it to work. Being in IT and having been on card reader projects, I helped her get it to work and donated ten bucks. :)
That is the first time in my adult life I ever donated money to that organization.
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