Today is Tuesday, October 29th, 2013; Karen's Korner #2682
Late Sunday afternoon a week ago, I had run to Clarion to see Jim in the hospital. He was diagnosed with coronary artery disease nearly forty years ago and hospitalizations are not uncommon for our family.
As we visited, he said he wanted me to get him a malt for a snack. That sounded good.
I drove to our local fast food restaurant, going through the drive up. Ordered his vanilla malt and for me, a 'cookies and cream' shake.
Total cost a few pennies over $7. As I got out a ten-dollar bill and the matching change, I got the bright idea to give the young man on the intercom a dollar tip.
The thought came into my mind, "No, give him all the change!"
Wow! A three-dollar tip on a $7 order.......and at a drive-through at that!
That's not my normal!
It seemed like a 'God-thing' to do!
Okay! So I told the young man to 'keep the change'
"Three dollars?" he said.
"Yes, just keep it for yourself!" I said.
He looked confused and didn't want to put it into his pocket. What would the malt-mixer lady think? He laid it by the cash register and was still trying to figure out his good fortune when I left.
That was fun, I thought.
Returning to the hospital, we drank our cold snacks and chatted a bit more.
Before going home, I knew I needed gas in our van. Which I got.
As I was driving south, down our county blacktop, out of town, I was passing through a residential portion of Clarion. It was a 25 mph zone.
Just outside of town, I saw flashing red lights. Must be an ambulance coming my direction, I thought.
My next thought, "Oh, no! Hard tell how fast I was driving!"
I pulled over to the edge of the road and the local police officer walked toward the driver-side of our van.
"Going a little fast, aren't you?" he asked.
"I have no idea how fast I was going," I said. "I was just lost in my thoughts."
He asked for my driver's license. As I was getting it out of my billfold, I added, "My husband is in the hospital but that is no excuse."
He walked my license back to his vehicle; I waited.
When he came back to the van, he said, "I'm not going to write you up a ticket. But remember to watch those speed signs as you come into, and leave, town."
"Thanks," I said, "normally I do pay attention."
As he and I both got back into the flow of traffic, I thought about God jogging my thinking to tip the local fast food employee.
I think the 'charge' for my 'ticket' was about $3!
It's a God-thing; part of His economy and the way He tends to do things.
Always better than we deserve!!
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