Six hundred miles was a long way to move a middle school students.
The year was 1970, and I was ten years old. Dad, a freshly ordained
Southern Methodist minister, decided he'd move our family from
Orangeburg, SC, to Jackson, TN. I suppose the move itself wouldn't have
been as bad had it not taken me so far away from the grandparents who
spoiled me. They lived in Orangeburg, and my other grandparents lived 30
minutes from there.
Fortunately, my grandparents in Orangeburg
made the situation easier. I was invited to spend every summer with
them. Better yet, my grandfather drove an ice cream delivery truck and
cleared it with his boss so I could work with him. What better job could
a pre-teen have? I ate all the free ice cream I wanted, lounged around
in the refrigerated part to retrieve ice cream for customers, received
free lunches, and was paid $20 each week.
For three summers-the
entire time my dad pastored in Jackson, I left for Orangeburg as soon as
school was out. Two of those years, my grandmother boarded a Trailways
bus and came for me. The last year, my parents allowed me to hop a Delta
Airlines plane and make the trip myself. I suppose they thought a
12-year-old was mature enough to handle the flight alone.
In the
midst of all the selfish advantages I received from working with my
grandfather, I couldn't help but notice his kindness. Store owners who
were rude to him were greeted with kindness. Never a harsh word. Never
an angry look. Never a "You can find somebody else to deliver your ice
cream."
And then there were the kids who couldn't afford to buy
ice cream but who mauled his truck at some of the Mom and Pop stores.
"Hey mister, you got any free ice cream?" They'd ask. Most of the time
he did. A busted carton or one that was smashed during the loading
process. Pieces a store owner wouldn't pay for, and pieces my granddaddy
wouldn't stock because it would make the company look bad. Those little
eyes bulged with anticipation as he opened one freezer door after
another until he found some freebies. My granddaddy lived out what Paul
instructed believers to have: kindness.
Whether it's returned or
not, just show kindness.
Martin Wiles
Hodges,
South Carolina, USA
