Saturday, February 2, 2008

A Much Better Day.....



For the entire past week, I've been in some sort of funk. Guess all I needed to do was come here and seek a little help from my friends!! You are all so sweet!!! So here is a little bit of why my day was much better:

Both Debi and Nymeth left me posts that said they had given me the "You Make My Day Award"!! Talk about making some one's day. Debi and Nymeth are two of my favorite bloggers (and not just because they said nice things about me! Which they did.) But because they are both kind, genuine people. I really want to thank them for making my day just a little bit brighter.

Debi's daughter Annie is the host of the What's in a Name Challenge. Talk about a prodigy. Annie is 11! I think Debi has done wonders homeschooling her. Not only is she a voracious reader, Annie is destined to be a famous author. She completed NaNoWriMo (something most adults couldn't do!) And I read her intro. It's fantastic! As the host of the challenge, Annie is having contests and giveaways throughout the year. And guess what?? I won for January!!

Finally, yesterday at work I got a surprise. As you know, I work for the Red Cross, Biomedical Division. Our region, The Heart of America region, services over 45 different hospitals, including a few in Chicago such as Rush, Northwestern, and U of Chicago. Of those 45, we also have 5 local hospitals, and a whole bunch of smaller, country hospitals. We have certain set deliveries to each of these hospitals, and we also do emergency runs to them as well. To do this we rely heavily on volunteers. My admiration for these men is huge. They do this out of the kindness of their hearts, and that's it. The don't get any pay. Some of them drive hundreds of miles a day. A round-trip drive can be over 350 miles. All of them are retired. They don't get to meet the people they help. And yet, they go out whenever they get a call, even in the snowstorms. Their level of commitment just amazes me.

Now I tell you all this because it makes my day to talk to these gentlemen. (Walt is 87, and yet he drives for the Red Cross at least 3 X a week!) Last week I was talking to Bob, one of our local drivers. He comes in one day a week, and spends his entire day driving to all the local hospitals. Some times many times to each. I was asking him if he had any plans for the weekend. He said he was going to do this and that...and then he said the magical words: Book Sale!! It was the Lakeview Museum Bi-Annual booksale. My eyes must have lit up because he asked me if I like the read!! Duh, that was an easy one. So we started talking about books. I had really wanted to go to the sale, but I had to choose that or go see my brother (who I haven't spent any time with in over a year). Luke won out, but it was close!!

Bob came in yesterday for his volunteer day. He knew I wasn't able to go to the sale, but I asked him if he found a lot of good things for himself. He proceeded to pull out a bag of books...that he bought for me!! Bill Bryson's Walk in the Woods, a couple of thrillers and even some fantasy hardback books by Tor!! He apologized because he didn't know anything about fantasy and hoped they would be good. I almost started crying. Isn't that just about the sweetest thing you've ever heard of?? I gave Bob a hug, and now I have to think of something to do to repay him for his kindness.

All in all, yesterday was a great day. I feel so much better....mostly because of the kindness of others. A heartfelt thanks to all of you!!

9 comments:

chrisa511 said...

Well Bob just rocks! What a cool guy...that was really sweet of him. And I couldn't agree with Debi and Nymeth more :) You make my day too! I look forward to reading your blog every day! Congrats on the What's in a name win too! Nothing better than a prize!

I'm so glad to hear you're feeling a little better Steph...those funks come and go. They suck, don't they? It would be so nice if they just stayed away for good. But hooray for having you back :D

Chrisbookarama said...

Hurray for Bob! Glad you're feeling better. I've been feeling funky myself.

DesLily said...

Wow, how cool! you'll have to tell us what cool books you got!
Bobs sure an ok guy!!

glad you are feeling better!

Debi said...

Well, Bob did make me cry! What an awesome guy! I just love hearing stories like that. And you know what, it just goes to show you how goodness often has a way of finding those who deserve it!

(By the way, could you e-mail us your address so Annie can mail your prize? Which by the way, isn't that exciting, but bless her heart, she's trying. Our e-mail is rdagmstevens (at) frontiernet (dot) net. I apologize if you've already sent it...it wouldn't be the first time we missed one.)

Glad the funk has lifted...and I hope things keep looking up!

Susan said...

Bob sounds like a great kindly soul, and I'm heading into my February funk so your story brought tears to my eyes! I read your site every day, and love what you write. I think it must be all this snow, we got another foot of snow on Friday and spent most of yesterday shovelling it so we could get out of the driveway! At least it's not COLD yet.....happy reading, Stephanie, and thank heavens for book angels :-) remember you're one too :-)

Melody said...

Stephanie, I feel so touched after reading this post! Bob is one great guy! And congrats on winning Annie's contest! :D

Tammy said...

Way to go, Bob! I love that kind of story, it reaffirms my faith in the human race.

Hope the funk clears away soon!

Teddy Rose said...

Wow! I truely think that I would have cried! What a guy! Tell Bob that we are all proud of what he does!

Ana S. said...

I'm very glad to have made your day a little bit better :)

And that's so incredibly sweet of Bob!