garage sale story

This weekend was our bi-annual neighborhood garage sale...I hate garage sales. Hate shopping them, hate doing them, setting up, tearing down, lugging stuff to the goodwill. Ugh. Hate them! This weekend, we had a garage sale Friday, Saturday and Sunday and we even made some money! So that was cool. Okay, focus, back to the story.
Friday was a bit of a struggle with Camden playing outside and him wanting to bring the toys back in that he hasn't touched in a year. So I was so lucky that Papa agreed to take the both of them to cousin Alex's soccer game yesterday! Some friends dropped by and helped me out some even. But, yesterday afternoon it was just me hanging out, reading my book, and this gentleman in a motorized wheel chair and his caretaker came wheeling in. They looked around and asked about prices for a few things. Clearly, he had a disability, but I wasn't sure what. The young lady with him attends UW, and they had bussed from Seattle to stay with a friend of Doug's (yes, this is really his name) around the corner. After some chit-chat, they toolied off to head towards the next garage sale...when I looked up they were heading back, and I thought, boy, he changed his mind fast and is coming back for the lamp! Not so much. They had a flat tire! On a motorized wheel chair! With a severely disabled man in it! OH EM GEE! They inquired as to if I had a bike pump we could use for the tire or not, which of course we do not. A light bulb went off in my head, we have a compressor, duh! And we use it for the stroller wheels and bike wheels, it's gotta work...yeah, not so much. I suck and couldn't make it work. About now, I'm starting to panic, because yes they are nice people, but what am I gonna do with them!?! I called Colby trying not to sound too panicky, but quickly explained the situation and he agreed to head home and help! Thank you, God! We realized before Colby got there that the valve stem cap was broken and I tried to call and have him bring one, but he was already gone. When he got home, he quickly figured out that the tire was bad, or popped, or something...the young lady had called their friends around the corner and they were coming to see if they could help. (Also, by this time we had moved Doug out of his chair and onto one of my awful hard kitchen table chairs.) Colby and the gentleman from down the road, got the wheel off, I called Les Schwab and the rude lady on the phone was no help to me at all, but I was able to let her know they would be running down for hopefully a patch if nothing else! Off went the couple from around the corner leaving: the girl, Doug, Colby and me...it was so easy to tell that although Doug struggled with some words he was highly intellectual and very funny, but it is still awkward to make idle chit-chat with people that you don't know! Mike returned home with the kids and hung out with them in the house until the neighbors got back with Doug's wheel...Les Schwab had patched it, for free! They didn't think it would hold, but figured it would work for a little bit... or long enough to get them home anyways. Colby got the motorized chair put back together and off they went.
Today, I was outside talking with Colby (It was his day to man the garage sale. please note, I made wayyyyy more money than he did.) And this afternoon, here comes Doug and his caretaker (darn it, never got her name) they brought us a card, and Doug bought that lamp after all. We also found out that they weren't having to bus back to Seattle - they got a ride, so that was nice.
Anyways, here is what the card says:
front: The kindest hearts expect no reward and deserve it all the more.
inside: you give so much of yourself in the kindness you show and the lives you touch. That's why you deserve a heartfelt "thank you" and a wish that all the goodness you share comes back to you.
handwritten: thank you so much for the rescue! I wish everyone had your spirit of generosity. If you want to know more about me go to : this address and also it was signed at the bottom: from one giving heart to another, Doug.
When we had said they didn't need to get a card, the only reply was you didn't need to help us! So after it was a funny, awkward, interesting meeting, it definitely made a good story for our garage sale. After I came in and read the story (follow the link above) I was pretty sure we had met someone very special and that we were the lucky ones that his tire blew out near us...