Kindness Suggestion

THE SPANISH VACATION
from Ellie Braun-Haley

It is interesting how we connect with each other. I've never met Harry Purdy who sent this story, yet I did teach his grandson in some special classes of dance, drama and art. Here is Harry's story: (It is published in FOR GOODNESS SAKE)

The Spanish Vacation

This is a story that took place a few years ago in Spain. I was working as a radio announcer at a Canadian Military Base in Germany and each year we took a month camping holiday to explore a different country. This particular year had taken us to the Basque region of Spain on our way to the beaches of Portugal.

I had a Dodge Family Wagon camper, which is very unusual in Spain. I also had brake problems from a lot of mountain driving. The brake pads on my front brakes had worn out and were causing a lot of metal to metal contact. I knew that I couldn't continue to Portugal without brakes. I also couldn't return to Germany. I also knew that it would be nearly impossible to get brake parts and I was looking at shipping my camper home on a truck. We were stuck in a Spanish campground.

It had been raining for a few days and we were a little dejected with the weather and brake problems. I went for a walk in the small town one afternoon and passed what appeared to be a small garage. When I went into the building I found it was a rather large garage which had been cut into the side of a cliff. With a lot of hand signs, some very broken German and English, I managed to explain my problem to the mechanic. He told me to bring my brake shoes to the garage and he would see what he could do.

Well, he found the largest set of Fiat brake pads he could find, which just about fit on my well worn Dodge brakes, but there was no way to attach the pads to my metal retainers. He set up his lathe, cut special bolts, drilled holes and tapped threads to screw the Fiat pads onto my brake shoes. He spent most of the day doing the repair and then drove me back to the camp ground.

I tried to pay him for the parts and his labor but he refused take any money. I even offered to take him and his family to a restaurant for a meal. He refused.

He saved our holiday and we continued on to Madrid and then back to Barcelona and spent the rest of our holidays on the beach. I still think of this Spaniard's kindness to this day.

* * *

— © Ellie Braun-Haley, Author/Motivational Speaker

To see more stories from Ellie Braun-Haley’s For Goodness Sake please visit: http://www.eaglecreek.org/goodness.html

For more Kindness Suggestions: http://www.sfpnn.com/kindness_suggestion.htm

TAKE THE SFPNN KINDNESS CHALLENGE!

Living through the words of Gandhi, we must be the change we want to see in the world. We must also acknowledge those who are in the act of creating those changes. Therefore, we have two challenges for you.

Kindness Challenge # 1: Do something kind today and every day. It doesn’t have to be of earth-shattering proportions to make a positive difference. Simply saying “Thank You” or letting someone know they’re appreciated can have a tremendous impact. Find little ways to be kind and to make our world a kinder place. And feel free to tell us about your kind act!

E-mail: “KINDNESS”

Kindness Challenge # 2: Share something kind someone has done for you! People are kind to us in a myriad of ways on a daily basis. But we often overlook their kindness. Become aware of acts of kindness and acknowledge the person performing them. Then share their kind gesture with SFPNN.

E-mail: “KINDNESS”

For more Kindness Suggestions: http://www.sfpnn.com/kindness_suggestion.htm