Help

He was something of a mentor to me. I was a stripling and he as old as the hills. Walking along, he greeted everyone … a tip of his cap, a small wave, the briefest salutation. He never failed to offer a helping hand … “Carry that for you?” … “Need a hand with that rake?” Few folks took him up on his offer, though occasionally they did, and I’d help him carry shingles out of someone’s garage or change a flat tire. He was plain about it … it is not the labor that changes the world … but simply the offer to help.