Today's Hero and Little Kindnesses

Her bio says she is a lifeguard and a swim coach. I have already given her trouble for being a fan of the Brewers. I am not sure who Tammy Ecklund is or who she will become in the next 20 years, but today she escalated herself for a slightly oversized tall guy. After 3 different battles, it looked like I would be sitting in an aisle row, but not the more coveted bulkhead. It was going to be an uncomfortable 8.5 hours, but I figure I could stand for that long, and I had to remember the big prize. This trip was not about JFK--Heathrow or Heathrow--Entebbe, it was going to be about what I could bring to fellow teachers and students of Northern Uganda.

Immediately upon seeing that her seat was the most coveted John Magee seat, Tammy stood up and asked if I wanted to switch. Those seats are more comfortable for almost everyone, but Tammy was willing to give it up in less than 10 seconds. TAMMY ECKLUND you are my hero. The more I know about Tammy the more I like her, but nothing this whole trip can be greater than giving me a seat I could be okay with. When I thanked her later, she told me it was not that big of deal, she considered it a small favor. To Me it was HHHHHuggge!

So what a great way to start this trip, do you ever wonder how often small acts of kindness have great impacts on other lives. In fact, I think we should all think about this---the time you let someone go ahead of you in line in the grocery store. Could it have been that she was tired, harried, and frustrated, and near the end of her rope, when you gave her that small act of kindness that got her through that tough time.

So today, startb thinking about a small sacrifice you can undertake to make someone's life (often a lot diffferent from you) a lot easier. You do it in America, I will enedavor to do it in Africa. Thanks to Tammy Ecklund who did it for me today. And keep me in your thoughts and good prayers, Gulu is tomorrow. Soon after the days at Atanga will start.

thanks Tammy,

John