The good guys thread

[carole]

My parents neighbors down the road a bit came over and offered to mow their lawns for free for Xmas,how nice,they did not leave empty handed though,a bottle of finest scotch whiskey ,was given for their troubles,but what a nice gesture from them,and not expecting anything in return.

[kuhio98]

On a cold winter's morning, an old man sat awkwardly against a wall at Sydney's Circular Quay station I glanced his way for a moment but disregarded him as a derelict and walked on along with the throng of people caught up in the bustle of commuting.

On my way home that afternoon, I saw the same man in the same place. He was crumpled over, his head almost on the ground. Two ambulance attendants were crouched beside him. This time my step paused. He wasn't a derelict at all. He was old certainly, but he wore a nice suit and was clean-shaven. And in a very bad way.

Shame rocked me. How torturous for that sick, old man to have endured the coldness of the entire day, sitting on the hard, unforgiving ground. He probably reached out to passersby for help. No-one stopped. No-one cared. Out of sight, out of mind.

A different season and I again came across an old man half lying on the footpath, not far from where the Winter Man had been. The morning heat was stifling. Caught up in the familiar stampede of people commuting, I barely glanced at him. However, the memory of the old Winter Man came back to me vividly. I walked back to the man on the ground. He was dressed in smart clothes with a neatly trimmed beard and only a straw hat for shade. I knelt down to ask if he was OK. His kind face looked at me.
Beside him, a takeaway cup of coffee and sugar sachets lay open. A flow of people kept walking by. He regained consciousness, albeit weakly, and told me he was diabetic and it might be a good idea to call an ambulance, which I did - it was a few minutes away.

In barely a whisper, he said to me, "Nobody stopped. Thank you." Fighting back tears, I asked his name. "Greg," he said. We looked into each other's eyes for a moment. Volumes were spoken without a word being uttered. I saw a proud man who didn't like what was happening to him. As the approaching ambulance's siren proclaimed the arrival of help, a number of emotions rushed at me. I felt sadness tugging at my heart for the Winter Man and shame that I had almost walked past another person in need. I was amazed that it had been so easy to be helpful.

[Louie and me]

My husband has a really bad heart condition so I have always done most of the heavy work around the house and garden. My neighbors have always cleared deep snow falls for me with their snow blowers and I did lighter falls that just needed a shovel. That is until this year when I started having severe back problems due to disc issues. Yesterday one of my neighbors came over with his shovel to clear the driveway in the morning and this morning two other neighbors came over and cleared the rest of it. They are the best and I am so grateful.

[kuhio98]

My husband has a really bad heart condition so I have always done most of the heavy work around the house and garden. My neighbors have always cleared deep snow falls for me with their snow blowers and I did lighter falls that just needed a shovel. That is until this year when I started having severe back problems due to disc issues. Yesterday one of my neighbors came over with his shovel to clear the driveway in the morning and this morning two other neighbors came over and cleared the rest of it. They are the best and I am so grateful.

Your neighbors sound like lovely people. What a blessing to have them.

[kuhio98]

Blind Dog Takes Walks with a Guide Cat

Four years ago, a tomcat showed up at Judy Godfrey-Brown's door in Anglesey, Wales, on a mission.

When the animal lover accepted the stray into her brood of cats and dogs, "he ignored everybody and went straight for my blind dog and started loving him," she tells PEOPLE. "He realized something was different about the dog and [wanted to help]."

Now, the cat, named Pwditat, and Godfrey-Brown's 8-year-old dog Terfel, are inseparable, and Pwditat has become the dog's guide. The feline uses his paws to help lead the pooch – who lost his sight years ago to cataracts – outside on walks. Their sweet relationship was first reported by the Daily Post of North Wales.

"The cat came here because that cat knew there was something different about the dog," Godfrey-Brown says, adding that because of her recent surgery the pair are living at a nearby cattery run by a local woman named Anne Cragg. "They sleep together in the same basket and go for walks. Why can't people be as lovely as that?"

[kuhio98]

Late Night at Applebees!
Last night I was working at Applebees on some schoolwork. It was pretty intense subject matter and I was trying to concentrate as well as get some dinner. The waiter sat a group of high schoolers next to my booth. They were LOUD and just kept giggling and giggling. I was a bit annoyed at first, but then I thought how great it was to be in this phase of life. The waiter asked them how to break up their ticket and it was pretty complicated, as you can imagine with high schoolers. Well, I grabbed the waiter and quietly asked if he could just give me their ticket. He looked at me like I was crazy, but he did. I wrote a note on the ticket that said "Enjoy this time in your life and please pay it forward." I left quickly. I can't stop smiling, how easy it was to do and I hope that they were blessed!

[kuhio98]

Dr. Dan and Suzie Bell - Echo Clinic, Eureka Springs, AR

Dr. Dan and Suzie Bell provide free health care in their town at the Echo Clinic. Twice a month in their church gym, the couple and 250 local volunteers provide medical care for those who are uninsured for 3 hours. Along with treatment, those who come are also served dinner and are also provided with counseling if needed.