Have you ever wondered if our actions in our lives leave footprints on others?
This weekend I was shown proof positive that what we do matters.
So, here's the story.
A young man grows up during the great depression and moves across the country to learn a new job skill that will earn him more money. He moves to Oregon to learn welding. He is employed by a shipyard where he spends much of his time with a female welder.
He begins talking to her and spending many lunches with her and gets up the nerve to ask her out on a date.
Now, in that day when you welded you wore a leather mask that covered your entire face except for your eyes, and until that date, that young man had never seen her face.
They decided to meet at a bus station.
When she stepped off that bus the man said that she was the most beautiful girl he had ever seen.
They became closer and were married shortly after. With the war looming the man decided rather than get drafted he would move back home to NC and enlist in the navy.
She left her home and family in Oregon to settle with her new husband in his old hometown.
As the months went by with him away, her time was spent mostly at their home which happened to be close to a school. All the children loved seeing her and made a point to speak to her when she was outside. Her new community embraced her and looked after her while her husband was gone.
In her eighth month of pregnancy complications came up and she was taken to the hospital.
She had toxemia, it did not look good and her husband was contacted to come home.
Four days later, she passed away. The doctors tried to save the baby, which turned out to be twins, but unfortunately they did not make it.
With a 72 hour leave, a devastated husband had to not only plan his wife's funeral but his children's also.
The community came together, and everyone pitched in to pay for the funeral, and they were given a plot in the local cemetery.
The year was somewhere around 1947.
This week, the man returned to the church who showed such kindness to him, because he never forgot.
He never forgot how people came together to help him in his time of grief and sadness and what I am sure was a devastating time for him.
He came to make a donation and just to say, you can make a difference.
We know that in everything God works for the good of those who love him. They are the people he called, because that was his plan.
Romans 8:28
What started out as a story of sadness grows to a story of joy.
Just so you know, the man moved on and married again. This time it lasted 67 years.
When someone made the comment to him about what a great story that was, he said, well, that's only part of my story.
Also, one of the children who went to the school, still attends that church and remembers the story well.
Her exact words to describe her were. . . She was the most beautiful girl I have ever seen.
God is good,
All the time!
