Times have changed so much. When I was a young boy my neighborhood had the nicest mailman. Everyone knew him and the kids and dogs  thought he was great.

Sam would drive and walk his mail route. He used to take a couple of kids on his lunch break with their parents approval for a hot dog and ice cream. Then we would ride around in his US postal jeep and watch him deliver the mail.

Sam was married and did not have children. He was kind and always had dog cookies for the dogs on his route. He was giving out cookies to the dogs  even through the mail slots. I remember he was missing the top part of his index finger. He told me that a dog thought it was a cookie. Lol

There was a huge saint Bernard dog that was so excited to see him and the mail truck on the street so he would bark, run off his porch to see Sam and  he would climb into the jeep for a ride. Sam would laugh and give him cookies. On our way back out of the neighborhood he would stop and get the dog out and back on his porch. Looking back 99 percent of the things that Sam did 46 years ago would never be allowed now. But it was awesome. Sam also let us chew his green apple gum that he had. 🙂

This is the type of dog,full grown of course.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9aWlxImaiQI

I am grateful for the memory of this kind man. He listened to each kid that took a ride in his jeep or walked the route with him. He was a great role model for each kid that he took along for a short while on his route. We were not invisible to him. When we went to the dairy bar down the street for the hotdog,the man behind the counter would say hello Sam, who’s your friend today. So nice. 🙂

This scripture was from my bible ap. I could not have picked a better reading for this wonderful man. He did not have children of his own so he helped to raise others. What a great man. God Bless Him. 🙂

13 Who is there among you who is wise and intelligent? Then let him by his noble living show forth his [good] works with the [unobtrusive] humility [which is the proper attribute] of true wisdom.

It was an innocent time when I grew up where families were generally large and we ran all over the neighborhood and played. Our mothers  and fathers  had to get a check in call if we at a friend’s house. The parents knew each other and called each other as well. It was a great time where we as young children seemed somehow safer to move around.

I believe each one of us is the sum total of our life experiences. I believe that the kindness that I learned from my family and people like Sam the mailman equipped me with an awareness and need to let people know that they matter. In even the smallest way.

Life is beautiful and the people that we are encountering during our day should be validated. I don’t care if it is a check out person at the store, the person you hold the door for or the person on the bus. Everyone is lifted up just by being recognized. Just the fact that someone cared enough to share a kind word just means so much

What is there in life that is more important then to bless another person. To be Jesus to a young one on the road trying to find their way.

This song is for Sam who I am sure went to God many years ago.

God Bless You,

Danny