Newspaper Boxes

photo by Hazel

Crash - Bang, what was that awful noise?

 My husband looked up from watering the garden to view a white pickup crashing into the receptacles for the newspapers that had been standing next to the mail boxes for our neighborhood. The truck backed up and tried again, this time demolishing the entire stand and hitting the mail boxes to boot.

It had been several years back that some boxes to hold the newspapers had been strung in an ugly row in front of our home. Some mischievous neighborhood boys had taken a baseball bat to them as well as mail boxes down the road. At that time my sweet hubby spent money and time digging a hole and cementing in a wooden post and arranging the boxes in a neat display.

My husband wondered, “Are those teenagers back again?”

He came into the house very upset as he relayed to me his side of the story. After he calmed down, he was able to search in our storage shed and to find a metal pole and some cement.  This he took it out front for the first stage in repairing the damage; to dig a deep hole and cement in the pole.

The next day I printed up a note to attach to the pole requesting information as to who owned the white pickup truck that had been so destructive.

As I was taping the note to the pole, our neighbor from across the street came over and shared with me what had happened.  She and her husband had seen it all.

Mrs. X, an older woman, from up on the hill had come down to get her mail, and had lost control of her truck.

When she stepped out of the truck to view the damage, our neighbors came over to help Mrs. X who appeared to have had a mini stroke. She was sweating and not able to walk straight, so they helped drive her and her truck home to be sure she arrived safely. They also notified her son who lives near by.

I took the note down, and said, "So it was an accident and not malicious?" Our neighbor replied,  "Yes it was a bad accident."

To end this story my husband painted the new pole red, and with some screws attached the boxes neatly to the latest pole. Now it is looking Good!

A few days later, Mrs. X telephoned to apologize for the damage, and she offered to pay for the new pole. I told her that we forgave her, and it would not be necessary to repay us. We just wanted to be good neighbors. We also wanted the front of our home to look decent.

We can show Christian love by forgiving those who sin against us – or harm us intentionally or perhaps even hurt us by accident.

Jesus has forgiven me, so I ought to forgive others, so that my prayers will be answered.

Linked to Shanda’s On your Heart Tuesday

This post is also shared at: “Tell Me a True Story” http://letmetelluastory.blogspot.com/
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