When I first met Ira in Palo Alto, California in the fifties, he had a fondness for Brooks Brothers clothes, Black Russian cocktails, and beautiful art---especially Tolstoy's writings. Not surprising for the son of a wealthy St. Louis surgeon! Ira … [Continue reading]
Saying Goodbye to Ira Sandperl, a Hero who was not always a Saint.
Last week, I attended Ira's memorial service in his adopted, long-time home town of Menlo Park, California. A few people flew in from across the country, which may be par for the course in an age when airplanes ply the sky like buses. . . and the … [Continue reading]
Responding to Random Acts of Kindness while Hitchhiking ‘Round-the-World
Before getting to my reaction to RAKs on the road, one more example of amazing kindness: Under a Tuscan sun, a young optician gave me a lift. In a second act of random kindness, he invited me to meet his family as we approached his hometown. I … [Continue reading]
Random Acts of Kindness in France?
When I hitchhiked in Europe, many Americans felt that the French lacked kindness. Even today many feel the French are rude and intolerant, especially toward anyone who fractures their language or disrespects their culture. My experiences in France … [Continue reading]
Another in a series of blogs about random acts of kindness.
We've all heard of people who've paid bridge or highway tolls for the people behind them. During a hitched ride from Stonehenge to Emsworth, all generally southwest of London, an elderly man treated me to lunch and later, to four … [Continue reading]
Randomly selected Random Acts of Kindness (RAK) involving heroics that have made my day.
As part of a series of blogs about RAKs from my days as a hitchhiker, I offer these stories involving radically different sized vehicles. They show that everyday heroes come not only in all different sizes, shapes and colors but also in all different … [Continue reading]
Little Heroic Acts by Others that have Made my Day.
Perhaps you see God at work in your daily life. Or Lady Luck? Random Acts of Kindness? I'd love to hear what makes your day. In Cleft Heart: Chasing Normal, I've related some of the amazing things that happened to me as I hitch-hiked and … [Continue reading]