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The Extra Shifts
My father Gale is 82 years old now. I recently learned about his random act of kindness that happened more than 60 years ago. I wept as my mother told me the story.
She began, You know your father will never tell you this, but I want you to know when you and your sister were very little, you father worked in the coal mine near Alpha. It was dangerous and dirty work. One day while your Dad was working his shift, a guy on the crew broke his ankle and your father watched as others carried the fellow out of the mine.
Your Dad thought about that fella with a broken ankle all during the rest of his shift. He kept thinking, how will this man feed his family this week and the next? That day, at the end of my Dad's shift, he went to his boss and asked if he could work double-shifts for a month or two—so the fella with the broken ankle and his family would continue to have a weekly paycheck until he could return to work.
Dad's boss said yes. Dad worked his shift, and the extra shift for a crew member he did not know much about, except that he had a wife and children. Dad worked double shifts for two months.
I had an opportunity to ask my Dad about his random act of kindness. I told him he was truly a hero.
Dad simply said, "it was the right thing to do."
Comments
What a wonderful man! Would that the world were filled with men like your Dad.
Posted 10 months ago by Mary Poalelungi from Melbourne, Fl
Inspiring!
Posted 10 months ago by Matvik Zvarich from Kharkiv, Ukraine
that is beautiful
Posted 10 months ago by clara from uk
I pray that we can all find ways as gracious as her father to share with humility and compassion our responsibility for our fellow humans. What a wonderful gentle man he was to share his blessing of good health and strength!
Posted 10 months ago by Susan W. from Nova Scotia, Canada
Wow! Wish more people were like that now. What a great man, and so modest.
Posted 10 months ago by Kristy from Canada
Sounds like Dad is setting a good example for his girls. The ripple affect from this act will touch many more than your Dad ever relized. Thanks for sharing!
Posted 10 months ago by Jess from Minnesota
I LOVE THIS! <3 Amazing. x I once heard a similar story of colleagues pooling their time to give a grieving worker the same opportunity-as much time as she needed. Something that I will never forget. Very kind.
Posted 10 months ago by MLH from Lincoln, UK (hometown: Toronto, Canada)
I got chills. Awesome.
Posted 10 months ago by Nicole from Astoria oregon
There are good people in this world, in fact I believe we all are. We just have to get in touch with that part of ourselves.
Posted 9 months ago by Nicole from Oz.
What a beautiful story. My sister and her co-workers did the same when two of their colleagues faced every parent's nightmare...their daughter severely injured in a car accident. She was in a coma and went through multiple surgeries, and the outcome was initially grim. Their employer allowed them all to "give time" to both so that they could stay by their daughter's side. I don't think there was a single person who didn't participate. An example to us all.
Posted 9 months ago by Kristin from GA
Wow... I'm so touched by this story; it gave me goosebumps! I try to do random acts of kindness when I can too but now I am so determined to go out there and do so much more for the world. Your father really is an inspiration and this story has touched me! God bless your dad and hope we can all follow his example!
Posted 9 months ago by Yaser Shakib from New Zealand
This is wonderful and I know people used to do thing like this. I remember a similar incidenet as a child growing up in North Carolina on a farm. Back then everybody worked together and looked out for each other. One of the neighbors (Mr. Wayland) got his leg mangled in a piece of farm machinery. He had to stay in the hospital for over a month. My father and two other famers plowed the fields, planted the corn, cotton and peanut seeds, planted the tobacco plants, and took care of his hogs and so he would be able to have a harvest and food that year. He did have a great harvest which gave him money, and the hogs gave him food for his family because he had a wife and 5 children at the time Thanks for this story. Gave me a fond memory of how people would go the extra mile for others.
Posted 9 months ago by Pat from Woodbridge, VA
this made me teared up...awesome touching story..if people have this much empathy for each other around the world, we will forever have peace :')
Posted 8 months ago by Anis from KL, Malaysia
What a wonderful/selfless thing to do. You are very lucky to have such an amazing and humble Father.
Posted 8 months ago by Lee-Ann from Vancouver, Canada
WOW!!! That is sacrificial and so inspiring!
Posted 8 months ago by Caddie from South Africa
superb man
Posted 8 months ago by raine from malaysia
Never ceases to amaze me the sacrifices people will make for each other in the face of greed and evil. The mining company should have looked after that man and his family, they took the profit he made for them and stole it for themselves. Your dad is brilliant, we all need to make a world where that's celebrated and seen as success, instread of profit and selfishness.
Posted 4 months ago by Carol from Scotland