October 21

I was in the die-cast cars aisle at Target a few days ago when I ran into a guy I met at Toys R Us a few months back. During our brief chat at the time, I'd mentioned that I collect Corvettes in memory of my son, and I guess the conversation stuck in his mind, because the first thing he said to me was 'your son... Corvettes... I have something for you.' Then he asked if I'd found this year's Super Treasure Hunt Corvette, and when I said no, he handed me a business card and said to drop him a note. I was floored, both by his memory and by his generosity.

So I arranged to meet up with him outside Target today. He handed me the promised car, and then surprised me again by refusing to take any payment. He just smiled and said it wasn't necessary, and to just pay it forward in some way.

This world is full of selfish people who are out only for themselves, so this random guy's thoughtfulness was so encouraging. He remembered me, he remembered me talking about my sweet boy, and he made a conscious decision to forego profit he could've made from selling it --because Super Treasure Hunts have high resale values-- in favor of doing a really kind thing for someone he hardly knows.

It's a blessing to be reminded that there are still good people wandering around in this world.