November 10

Since Veteran's Day is tomorrow, Larry was outside the Mother Ship bright and early this morning distributing poppies and hearty greetings to patrons.

It was chilly out, so at one point he came inside and settled into a chair across from me. I asked --as I've done numerous times before-- if I could get him a coffee or tea, and he --as he has many times before-- declined. (He's something of a regular on military-related holidays so our schtick is well-tested.)

After some chit-chat, he ambled toward the register to purchase his tea, but before he could get there, this woman stopped him and slipped him a gift card. He tried to decline, but she was insistent. A moment later, I approached the woman, handed her a dollar, and told her that I'd been trying to buy him a drink for years so I wanted to be part of her gesture. She initially tried to say no, but eventually accepted with a smile and said that she'd wanted to donate to Larry's cause but didn't have cash. (He collects for the American Legion.)

It was a lovely chain of events that put the better parts of humanity on display. So for that, I am grateful.