Today...

On a whim, while stopping at the local supermarket after my evening coffee with a girlfriend, I bought my Grandmother a dozen sunrise roses.

Being that I'm sentimental, and she has no one to buy her flowers anymore, I thought it was a nice thing to do, and she did appreciate them. They smelled divine, and looked so pretty.

When I got them wrapped at the counter, the boy that was helping me, was about 20 years old, and mildly mentally handicapped. He was the sweetest, most apologetic person I've ever met in my entire life, even going so far as to say "If I'm doing this wrong, please let me know."

I could have cried. I almost did.

On a day to day basis, I'm constantly harangued by individuals that seem to have lost the joy for life, or the sweetness that is lacking in society. This gentle soul, who struggles with a handicap, has the courtesy to apologize before he's done anything wrong, or if he seems to be taking too long doing what he's been deigned to do.

I helped him arrange the flowers, explaining why I was setting them where they were going, which is something not many customers would have the patience, or the interest to do. I also told him not to worry when he was apologizing to me. He told me his mum showed him how to arrange flowers, and he still didn't understand how to do it properly.

I wondered how often people lose patience with him, and if the reason why is because they would never know what it was like to have that handicap. I don't personally know, but I have an inkling of how difficult it could be, in a world where people have no patience.

I know the chances are slim to none, that he reads blogs... However, that fact aside, I still want to thank him, for reminding me that I still have a bit of patience, and compassion left in this cantankerous, jaded old heart of mine.

Thank you Robert. You did a marvelous job, and meeting you was one of the brilliant bright spots in my day.