Thought for the Day: Quiet Gifts

The other day I was visiting with some old friends. Many of them were people I hadn't seen in over twenty years. Out of the corner of my eye I noticed someone looking at me. Finally, I turned and walked toward him to see if it was someone I hadn't recognized.

Before I could even introduce myself he looked at me and thanked me in a very kind way for something I had no memory of doing and so I protested the compliment and suggested he mistook me for someone else. He spoke my name and assured me there was no mistake. The he told me what had happened.

I still had no idea who he was and no recollection of the event. But the smile on his face was too genuine for me to argue. He said he had to leave and was abruptly gone from sight.

Sometimes I think I live in a world where people do not touch one another in any significant way. The truth is we do it every day, we just don't know about it. But that makes the gift even better.

Herb Ratliff