stealthcows
10-27-2004, 02:12 PM
Actually, he comes in once every two or so weeks - a real nice guy. His name is Gary; his friends call him "Mick", but I'm not sure why. He bought apples for the deer, suet cakes for his wild bird neighbors, and a pop for himself.
He spoke with us for a few minutes about Proposal 1, a referendum in Michigan regarding casinos. He mentioned that three of his brothers like to to the casino every once in awhile and they spend around $40 per trip. Gary's wife (Jackie) passed away last year, but Gary told us today that when she was alive, they would sometimes go to the grocery store and they'd sit in the parking lot for a bit. When somebody came in with a beaten up car...perhaps an older person or a frazzled mom with a few kids in tow - always somebody who obviously could use a hand up - Gary and Jackie would go into the store and find the store manager. Gary and Jackie would then inform the manager that they would pay for whatever items the folks they had seen in the parking lot would need. Gary and his wife asked that the manager simply tell the person that they were the 2,000,000th customer and all their groceries were free...he did this so that the folks weren't embarassed to be receiving a "hand-out".
Gary related this story to us as he figured what he and Jackie did with their $40 was, he figured, as good as blowing it at the casino.
One of the things that struck me was when Gary said "We folks who've got it good have to always be looking out for those who don't have it so good..."
Gary's right leg was blown off by a land mine when he served in the U.S. military in Korea. He's been without it for 50 years and now has to get around in a wheelchair (he did use a prosthesis in his earlier years). He lives on his own now after his wife passed away, and still is one of the most upbeat people I know.
A fine veteran and heck of a human being.
He spoke with us for a few minutes about Proposal 1, a referendum in Michigan regarding casinos. He mentioned that three of his brothers like to to the casino every once in awhile and they spend around $40 per trip. Gary's wife (Jackie) passed away last year, but Gary told us today that when she was alive, they would sometimes go to the grocery store and they'd sit in the parking lot for a bit. When somebody came in with a beaten up car...perhaps an older person or a frazzled mom with a few kids in tow - always somebody who obviously could use a hand up - Gary and Jackie would go into the store and find the store manager. Gary and Jackie would then inform the manager that they would pay for whatever items the folks they had seen in the parking lot would need. Gary and his wife asked that the manager simply tell the person that they were the 2,000,000th customer and all their groceries were free...he did this so that the folks weren't embarassed to be receiving a "hand-out".
Gary related this story to us as he figured what he and Jackie did with their $40 was, he figured, as good as blowing it at the casino.
One of the things that struck me was when Gary said "We folks who've got it good have to always be looking out for those who don't have it so good..."
Gary's right leg was blown off by a land mine when he served in the U.S. military in Korea. He's been without it for 50 years and now has to get around in a wheelchair (he did use a prosthesis in his earlier years). He lives on his own now after his wife passed away, and still is one of the most upbeat people I know.
A fine veteran and heck of a human being.