My son really surprised me today

[Sydnie]

I took my son to the bank today to open a new account for himself. He transfered some funds from his savings account into the new account, took a few dollars for gas money to get to school and food money to get a burger on those late nights when he gets out of class. Not much cash mind you, but a small buffer to get through him the rest of the week.

He also needed some new headlights for his car and he insisted on going to WalMart to get them. See, he is a college student and well, money is tight (both his and mine), and he wanted to get them there because they were cheaper than at the local auto supply places. So, I relented and drove him over there to pick them up. As we were driving into the parking lot, there at the fringe of the parking lot sat a very elderly man in a wheelchair. He was holding a sign that spoke about his vet status and how he was desperate because he had been dropped from the VA roles. Now, it was in the low single digits and he looked like he was taking a real beating from the cold wind that was blowing today. I couldn't read all of his sign on the first pass by him, so we drove back around to the fringe of the lot to read the sign again. That's when he surprised me.

He said, "I wonder if he's hungry? I am not so hip on giving people money on the street, but I would be happy to buy him something to eat." Now, keep in mind, this is a 19 year old who feigns that he is not interested when I talk about politics or ever voices any stance on social issues that he hears me talk about or work on. He says "Mom, that's YOUR thing" to me all the time. But, today, he showed me that he got it more than I had imagined.

We made one more pass by where he was sitting, not being noticed or acknowledged by anyone else driving around the parking lot. My son rolled down his window and said "Excuse me Sir, are you hungry?" What, I thought, did he just say Sir? A second wow for me. (not that I didn't teach him manners or respect, but hearing him acknowledge this man with the respect that he deserved without reservation caught me off guard all the same.)

The old gentleman turn and rolled just a bit closer to our car. He replied, "No, I'm not hungry son. I just ate a little bit ago." My son then asked him what kind of help he needed. He replied, "I am desperate. The VA dropped me and I don't know where I am going to get my meds this month. If you could help me out with a buck or anything really, that would be the best help I could get right now." I was already reaching into my pocket for a $5 bill to hand him. I handed it to my son so that he could hand it to the man. He did that. The man thanks us and started to roll backward toward his hopeful but mostly unnoticed spot again. Then the real wow happened. He said "Excuse me Sir, wait just a minute, ok?" the elderly man turned back to my son with a surprised look on his face. My son reached into his own wallet, pulled out two one dollar bills (quite a hit on his weekly funds when his wallet was not too fat to begin with) and handed them to the man. The man thanked him and said "God Bless you son." Neither one of us are very religious, but we knew what saying that meant to that man all the same. My son gently said "You're welcome and thank you too." At that point, the elderly man did roll back to his lonely spot on the fringe of the lot and I pulled away to find a parking spot to continue on our errand for his lights. I, of course, was quietly sobbing tears of pride at his act of generosity. He turned to me and said "Mom, are you crying?" I silently shook my head yes and he leaned over to kiss my cheek. I smiled and said "What a good, generous progressive kid you are. You make me proud." He smiled in his usual "aren't I cute" way and glanced out the window, away from my line of view.

I know he was feeling happy, safe, secure and loved ... as well as proud of himself. He learned today that it feels so much better to give than receive on so many levels and I learned that I might have penetrated his outward expression of disengagement after all.

With kids like this, we just might still have hope, don't you think?

[blue cat]

1. Yes

much home, and pride.

[aquart]

2. With parents like you, we definitely have hope.

[Cabcere]

3. That's wonderful!

It sounds like you've done a great job of raising your son - he seems like a good guy. to both of you!

[badgerpup]

4. Reading stuff doesn't normally make me teary...

But that did.
What a good man you've raised...

[blondie58]

5. awww...... this brought tears to my eyes

Sydnie- thank you for sharing such a sweet story with us. Heck, I am proud of your son.

Yes, you've done something right- and you didn't think that he was watching, now did you??!

[Booster]

6. Damn, you've got every right in the world to be proud of your son.

ya done good, Mom.

[Blue Belle]

7. Wow, Sydnie, that's a great story...

You've done very well with your son. That's great.

With all the great stories of random kindness from the younger generation,it gives me hope for the future.

[az chela]

8. Well this certainly caused tears in my eyes.

The Va cant legally keep that vets meds away from him.If he has no money he needs to go to the Va hospital and tell them he needs prescriptions and get then filled there.

[Sydnie]

12. Had I had my wits about me, I would have engaged him myself

about seeking some help to get his VA benefits addressed, but I was in such shock by my son and his reaction to the encounter, I will admit to being too flustered to think further than the moment I was currently living in.

I should drive by there again and see if I can find him again and assist him with that, shouldn't I?

[HuskiesHowls]

9. I know we do....

My son will stop and talk to the down and out, help them in any way he can. He quit a good job to stay home with his twin daughters, and works a couple part-time jobs in the evenings when his wife is home.
The only drawback he has is the spouts some of the Republican talking points--I think just to get to me, though.

I feel that our future looks a little brighter with kids like these around.

[efhmc]

10. Now that is the type of love in action that makes a REAL VALENTINE.

To see that love you gave your son extended out into this world is fantastic.

[Sydnie]

11. You sumed it up perfectly

Thank you. That is exactly how I felt.

[calimary]

13. Yes. This does INDEED give me hope.

It's like the dragon flies I'd see in the garden last summer. They reminded me that our ecosystem can't be completely fucked up if beautiful, delicate creatures like those still live and thrive. Your son is a treasure!!! And so are YOU, 'cause he learned this wonderful compassion from you. As my late mother-in-law would say, "he didn't suck it out of his thumb."

[jschurchin]

14. You should be proud of yourself

and your son. You did a wonderful job raising him.

[Just-plain-Kathy]

15. You raised a good son, you should be very proud of yourself....n/t

[Bigmack]

16. Somebody has to say it...

... the guy might have been a fake vet..... or whatever. Cynical manipulation is endemic in this country. Knowing the stats on the homeless, I'd guess he was real.

It doesn't really make any difference, because your kid - and you - showed the kind of people you are. Imagine if the cynics ran this country.... oh..... they do, don't they.

We've got to live Hope, and you guys certainly do.

Me, too.

[Lisa0825]

18. There are times when I'd rather give and be wrong....

than NOT give and be wrong.

Being duped out of a few bucks is not the worst thing that can happen.

That's also why I have donated to several folks on DU over the past few years. I had no way of knowing with 100% confidence that each of them were honest. But it didn't matter that much. The chances that I was helping someone were more important to me.

[Sydnie]

19. He could have been

fake, but I don't think he was. He was elderly, had only one leg, and had a look of desperation that, if practiced, was an academy award deserving performance. Where he was sitting in that lot, you could tell that he felt "left behind and forgotten". Had WalMart thought he was actually getting any attention, I am sure they would have called someone to get him removed from the area.

If he was fake, the warmth that he brought out in my son and the sheer pride he gave me by accepting my son's donation was worth that and more. You can't buy moments like that for any amount of money. I was given the gift today, more than that man was.

Yes, I live on hope. I see that hope runs in the family and I am a better person for it.

I often tell my kids this Vesta M. Kelly quote, "Snowflakes are one of nature's most fragile things, but just look what they can do when they stick together." Today, I was treated to a real blizzard!

[Bigmack]

24. We're gonna see a lot more like him, too...

What with the cuts in VA.

When I was teaching, I got a homeless vet (I checked him out thoroughly) to speak with my classes. Upper middle-class district.

Wow!

I kept in touch with the guy for a couple of years... off and on... then lost him.

When I suggested the school have a "stand down" for homeless vets instead of a (Rah-Rah, U - S - A!!!) Veterans Day Assembly, the admin and PTSA crapped a huge pile!

We're gonna see a lot like him.

[Breeze54]

17. Great son and mom!

I hope that veteran has a warm place to stay tonight too!

You brought a tear to my eye....

[Gloria]

20. Good people....great story.......

kick

[Catherine Vincent]

21. Awww, now I'm teary eyed.

You have a good son! He must take after his momma.

[tnlefty]

22. Ain't it great when they surprise in a REALLY good way?!!?

Somehow I don't think it was a total surprise to you, though. He's probably witnessed what you've done here and there and it sunk in, and you should be proud!!!

2 Thanksgivings ago my family was enroute from my in-laws to my mother's house and I saw a man who was holding a Viet Nam Vet sign and needing food standing on a street corner. I made my husband stop and we didn't have much left to give him, just the pumpkin pie that we were supposed to take to my mom's house. Well, it does have some nutritional value and all I had in my purse was $20.00. When my boys realized what was going on, they emptied their pockets, too, and when the man said that he was going to take the pie and the money to share with his friends, along with the "Bless You", the big smile on his face and a tear in his eyes, my young'uns had a lesson reinforced to them and they felt sad about the man and also glad that they could help.

Later, when we were explaining what had happened to the pie and received the "you've been had", "you've been used", my kids bristled and stated that even if he wasn't a Vet, he was in need and that even if he was a drunk, he would at least have some money to eat and to buy booze...in other words no negative statement directed to us was gonna make them feel bad about what we'd done. I was really proud of them for defending our actions to my rwing relatives. They pretty much shut them up with their final, "It's Thanksgiving and we're supposed to share, right?"

[Sydnie]

23. Just when you think they haven't been listening or learning

from your actions, they surprise you, don't they?

Sounds like your sons have seen a few good deeds along their path as well. It's those moments that make all the concerns worthwhile. You did a good job with those boys. They will bring you many warm moments like that ... and the added benefit is, your family won't get to share them ... they will be all yours! Thanks for the support and sharing that story too.

Yes, Hope and Love are alive and getting better every day.

[breakaleg]

25. In the strangest ways we come to realize that we raised our kids well. Congratulations.

[RevolutionStartsNow]

26. Isn't it amazing how our kids "get it" when we think they are not?

Don't sell yourself short, you have provided a great example for your son.

He is following your lead, and I know from my own experience that there is nothing more rewarding than seeing your child do something completely unselfish without any prompting.

Bless you, and your son.

[BlackVelvet04]

27. Children really do learn by example.

Obviously your son has a good one.

[lligrd]

28. Brought Tears To My Eyes Too

Thanks for sharing that wonderful story. Kudus to your son and to you for raising him.

[w8liftinglady]

29. you did a good job!

I posted something similar about my kid a few days ago-this is what differentiates us from the neo-con pricks...

[Dastard Stepchild]

30. What a delightful story!

My parents are two of the most decent and compassionate people I have ever known. I try to be the same, and I owe much of who I am now to them.

Wonderful!

[SeattleGirl]

31. Sydnie, you have such a kind son.

Thank you for sharing this story with us, and please say "thank you" to your son for me.