Five Cups of Cocoa

 

FIVE CUPS OF COCOA

 

A small gift of appreciation when needed is nice

Storytime

We live in a small town. Last week (I wrote this in January), as I was driving up towards the end of our cul-de-sac, I noticed a little trickle of water crossing the road. I didn't pay much attention to it. By Friday, that little trickle became a stream crossing the road. That night, a snowstorm hit and the temperature dropped. I drive by again, and there is some signs that some work was planned there, a backhoe was parked there, some underground locate paint and various odds and ends.  On Saturday morning, my wife and I leave for the city to do our weekly run for groceries. 

We come back around noon, and we see all four of the city workers and the mayor out there working on whatever this leak is from. I tell my wife that it looks like a water main break under the railroad tracks. Sure enough, we get home and discover that we no longer have water. I go out to the shed and grab two 5 gallon containers of ice we have for backup drinking water for such an occasion. By the evening, the snow has stopped because of how cold it is getting. It is probably down around 5 F by then. There are no dishes to do after dinner because we still don't have any water, so I relax on the couch with the Rubik's cube while the boys are wrestling by my feet. 

While I am hanging out there, my wife comes in and says, "It's getting cold out there, do you think we should bring some cocoa out to those guys working on the water line?". Against my better judgement, I say "Sure".

We go into the kitchen and I pour some of the thawed ice out of the water container into a big pot and heat it up on the stove. We pull out some packets of cocoa and some coffee mugs and a couple spoons. My wife and I go to put our warm fuzzy clothes on, we put all of this stuff on a tray and I carry all of this towards where they are working. About halfway there, I start feeling like an idiot and we will be in the way. I make a comment to my wife about it. 

Nevertheless, we forge ahead to where they are working. They have a space heater there and I see the mayor there with two workers, trying to warm up. My wife says, Excuse me? We thought you guys would like some hot cocoa." I then proceed to pour the boiling hot water into a couple cups and stir in the cocoa packets and hand it to them. I go ahead and ask about what happened here and we waffle about this until the cocoa cools down enough for them to drink. After they are done, those two workers trade off with the guys down in the pit and give some cocoa to them as well. 

As we are collecting all the mugs and trash, the mayor pats me on the back and says "Thank you, we really appreciate you coming down here." 

Takeaway

I probably spent more time writing up this little piece than it took to gather up the cocoa stuff and take it down to them. Maybe I am out 2 or 3 dollars of material. To me, it was time and effort well spent. If my wife didn't come up to me and suggest the idea, I wouldn't have thought of it. 

Little gestures of kindness go a long ways to bring humanity back into our society. I have seen those guys here and there around town and listened to the mayor talk about why we need to raise taxes in city council, but I didn't really know them. With just the 15 minutes we talked with them, I gained some appreciation for what they do, especially after hours in cold weather. 

My wife has this goal that she started at New Year's to pray daily for service opportunities. Since then, we have done several things for neighbors or others that we know in town. Just a kind word or deed goes a long ways for those who feel isolated, even if you are the one who feels isolated and are forcing yourself into that awkward position of feeling silly to offer your service to others. 

While there are the occasional users who take advantage of other's generosity, it is a rare thing to help someone and end up regretting it. Usually, we will be appreciated for your actions and may even develop friendships. 

In Luke 10:25-37, we read a story where a certain lawyer asks Jesus what he need to do to have eternal life. In the discussion, the topic comes up "Who is my neighbor?". Jesus replies with the Story of the Good Samaritan. In the story, a man walking on road falls among thieves, is beaten and left for dead. Some people pass by, ignoring the victim. Eventually, a Samaritan who are typically not friendly with the Jews, noticed him and took care of him, going as far as hauling him and setting him up in an inn until the man could heal. Jesus asks, "Who was the neighbor?" The lawyer replies, "He that showed mercy on him". Jesus replies, "Go, and do thou likewise"

If we go out with a compassionate attitude and see people as neighbors and friends, I promise that God will be able to use you as an instrument for good, no matter if it is something as small as saying "hello" to someone or as big as carrying a wounded soldier out of harm's way.