A couple of weeks ago, the local police were on the trail of an errant auto operator. The driver of the auto became excited and began to drive in a rather exciting manner; so much so that he lost control of his vehicle, crashed thru my fence, destroyed a boat trailer, broke the window of a golf cart, broke a window in my barn, absolutely destroyed my lawn, and came to rest 90 feet from where he broke through the fence. He missed our house by about three feet.
So, you might expect that I have became friends on a first name basis with our auto and homeowner insurance companies. I have been getting bids for repairs. The insurance companies have been great, however I can not say the same for the contractors. But, that's another story.
The above is why I have not written for a while. However, something happened last Saturday morning that I wanted to share with you.
A friend of mine and myself often have breakfast on Saturday morning. We are both veterans. He was in the Army and a gunner on a helicopter. I was a medic in the Air Force. We both served during Vietnam. He has a cap signifying Army. I have a cap signifying Vietnam Era. By chance, we were both wearing our caps on this morning.
We were about half way through our breakfast at Lakewood Cafe when our waitress brought us our check marked "Paid." There was a heartwarming note on the back. What a difference 45 years will make. When we separated from service, my friend and I both have stories about how we were viewed because we were in the military. Some in uniform were even spit upon. I was involved in a shoving match in a pizza parlor. The police broke it up. I was glad. I was about to get my butt kicked. Anyhow, move the clock forward 45 years.
Below is what was written on the back of our PAID bill this morning.
"Thank you so much for your service and sacrifice. We are thankful to live in a country with men like you."
Its been a while since I felt that good. Certainly not right after I was discharged in 1969. We do not know who the couple was that bought our breakfast.