Today is Monday, September 4th, 2017; Karen's Korner #3636

Happy Labor Day!

As big as the tragedy and mess left by Hurricane Harvey, the great part is seeing the American kind and caring spirit of volunteers, as they step forward. And we are told, that spirit will need to continue for months and even years!

If we were to listen to the news, we would sometimes wonder about 'people'. We tend to cover the bad ones; ignoring the good ones. And there are lots of them.....


Here is one that I would like to share with you this morning:

I had the privilege of writing a story which was printed in our local paper this past week. I interviewed the managers of Clarion's two motels:  Sue Tester at Boulders Inn and Frank and Trudy Teslik with Clarion Hometown Inn. Boulders is our two-year-old motel; Clarion Hometown Inn is 20 years plus. Both managers are warm hearted caring people; quite a difference in the two motels.

The interview prompted my thinking about Frank and Trudy Teslik.

At the end of last summer, it was hot, like July and August has the habit of doing in Iowa!

I had a card which I had purchased from our local high school band. Most businesses are listed with a discount or something free, spurring card holders to use it every month for a year. Last year, there was one 'punch' for a free night's stay at their motel.

I had no plans to use it.

Vi Schnell, at the time 97, and her son, Dan the Can Man (Dan gleans our town for cans and bottles daily; would have been labeled 'special ed' in his school days), were in their hot home!

I asked them if they'd want to have a free stay at Clarion Hometown Inn the next night, if there was a room available.

Yes, they would.

Yes, there was a room available.

I dropped them off for their cooler stay.

The next day, Trudy called me to 'thank me for bringing them to stay there'!

Thank me? All I did was show up with my card for FREE!

What she wanted me to know is that she was going to let them stay another couple of nights, so they'd be more comfortable!


New cards are out for this year. The free stay is no longer on the list. Vi passed away a number of months ago. I had hesitated to say anything of the Tesliks' generosity earlier for fear they might be overwhelmed by others wanting the same treatment.

It was, and is, good news!


Back