Columns
Talk of the Town: Make someone’s day
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| Mario Aguilar | Green Valley News Pima County Sheriff deputies marked off part of the property behind 542 Ocotillo Court where a woman was murdered Sunday night. Her son was shot by deputies after threatening them with a knife. |
By Regina Ford
It just goes to show you that sometimes kindness does pay!
You’ve probably read recently about the waitress who was left a car and a whopping sum of money after one of her longtime customers passed away.
For nearly seven years, Melina Salazar did her best to keep smiling and refilling the coffee cup of her most loyal and cantankerous customer.
She made sure his food was as hot as he wanted, even if it meant he burned his mouth. And she smiled through his demands and curses.
Eighty-nine-year-old Walter “Buck” Swords obviously appreciated it, leaving the Brownsville, Texas waitress $50,000 and a 2000 Buick when he died.
Swords, a Second World War veteran, died in July, but Salazar didn’t learn of her good fortune until just a few days before Christmas.
She says she “still can’t believe it,” and describes Swords as “kind of mean.”
Not everyone who is kind to other folks will get a windfall check for their efforts. That doesn’t mean that showing a bit of kindness to others won’t benefit you more than money ever could.
You just might want to try these feel-good ideas and make someone’s day, thanks to Cond/ Nast publications:
Say “no problem” to the waiter who forgot your extra rolls, the elderly woman in front of you who has more than 20 items in the express check-out line, and even the parking space hog who takes the spot you were turning into.
The Green Valley News and Sun has a “no problem” hero who has never said anything else but, “no problem” when asked to do something. Production manager Graham Harrington is that man and a true joy to work with. I’ve never heard him say “no” to anything. Graham just makes it happen, and for that, my job is easier.
Forgiveness, although sometimes difficult, is rewarding and you’ll feel a surge of power and release if meant sincerely. Commit to three compliments a day and stick to it!
Nothing makes a person feel better than sincere appreciation for something they did, a feature they have, or what they chose to wear that day.
Learn names. You should know the name of anyone you see at least once a week. That means your mail carrier, the office security guard, and even your quirky neighbor.
Teach a kid how to recite a poem, the difference between “here” and “hear” or how to play Scrabble.
Make your own day, too! Forgive yourself when you goof and start over and move forward. As they say in the theater, there are no post mortems after the show. It’s a live show. If you messed up your lines in the play, you can’t go back. Just try to do better next time!
The Green Valley Chamber Music Society will meet at 9:45 a.m., Monday, Jan. 14, in the Parish Hall at St. Francis-in-the-Valley Episcopal Church, 600 La Canada Drive. Following a short business meeting, the chamber will feature a concert at 10 a.m. The meeting and concert is free and open to the public.
On the program are the Ocotillo Recorders with Jim McMahon, Sue Girardeau, Reg Kahrimanis and Diane Grove playing a Brahms motet.
Hara Steiner will be playing Partita II by J.S. Bach and Bob Sladky, Marion Wolfe and Ann-Marie Schaffer will perform Max Bruch Opus 83 Nos. 1 & 2 for clarinet, viola and piano.
Marya Giesy will perform the “Winter” violin concerto from Vivaldi’s Four Seasons with the Green Valley String Ensemble featuring Jo Ann Stover, Florence Johnson, Tom Hanselmann, and Lucy Hernreid on violin; Marion Wolfe, Barbara Thatcher, Ann-Marie Schaffer on viola and cello players are Helene Benedikte, Sue Girardeau and Serene Rein. Fred Hughes will be on keyboard.
The Green Valley Chamber Music Society welcomes new audience viewers and new members, both as listeners and as musicians. The organization is open to all who wish to perform or listen to chamber music. Call Marion Wolfe, program chair, at 648-2275 for more information.
The National Active and Retired Federal Employees Association recently installed new officers. Those heading the Green Valley NARFE branch are Dave Clark, president; Jackie DeHart, vice-president and Jim Carlson, secretary/treasurer.
They were installed at a ceremony a Green Valley’s Lavender Restaurant by Jane Pall, NARFE District II vice-president.
The mission of NARFE is to protect the earned benefits of all civilian federal employees, active and retired.
The local NARFE branch also raises funds to support Alzheimer’s research, as well as provide donation so local agencies.
NARFE meets on the second Friday on each month at 12:30 p.m. from September to June at Friends In Deed. All active and/or retired federal employees are encouraged to attend.
The “Painting in the Desert Art Show” opens Jan. 18 and runs through Feb. 14 in the West Center lobby. The featured artists are locals John Browne, Mary Smith and Tom Allen. Their work includes not only desert scenes, but also paintings of views they’ve captured in their summer home states and vacation spots in Minnesota, Montana and Oregon.
The show is free and open to the public.
rford@gvnews.com
You’ve probably read recently about the waitress who was left a car and a whopping sum of money after one of her longtime customers passed away.
For nearly seven years, Melina Salazar did her best to keep smiling and refilling the coffee cup of her most loyal and cantankerous customer.
She made sure his food was as hot as he wanted, even if it meant he burned his mouth. And she smiled through his demands and curses.
Eighty-nine-year-old Walter “Buck” Swords obviously appreciated it, leaving the Brownsville, Texas waitress $50,000 and a 2000 Buick when he died.
Swords, a Second World War veteran, died in July, but Salazar didn’t learn of her good fortune until just a few days before Christmas.
She says she “still can’t believe it,” and describes Swords as “kind of mean.”
Not everyone who is kind to other folks will get a windfall check for their efforts. That doesn’t mean that showing a bit of kindness to others won’t benefit you more than money ever could.
You just might want to try these feel-good ideas and make someone’s day, thanks to Cond/ Nast publications:
Say “no problem” to the waiter who forgot your extra rolls, the elderly woman in front of you who has more than 20 items in the express check-out line, and even the parking space hog who takes the spot you were turning into.
The Green Valley News and Sun has a “no problem” hero who has never said anything else but, “no problem” when asked to do something. Production manager Graham Harrington is that man and a true joy to work with. I’ve never heard him say “no” to anything. Graham just makes it happen, and for that, my job is easier.
Forgiveness, although sometimes difficult, is rewarding and you’ll feel a surge of power and release if meant sincerely. Commit to three compliments a day and stick to it!
Nothing makes a person feel better than sincere appreciation for something they did, a feature they have, or what they chose to wear that day.
Learn names. You should know the name of anyone you see at least once a week. That means your mail carrier, the office security guard, and even your quirky neighbor.
Teach a kid how to recite a poem, the difference between “here” and “hear” or how to play Scrabble.
Make your own day, too! Forgive yourself when you goof and start over and move forward. As they say in the theater, there are no post mortems after the show. It’s a live show. If you messed up your lines in the play, you can’t go back. Just try to do better next time!
The Green Valley Chamber Music Society will meet at 9:45 a.m., Monday, Jan. 14, in the Parish Hall at St. Francis-in-the-Valley Episcopal Church, 600 La Canada Drive. Following a short business meeting, the chamber will feature a concert at 10 a.m. The meeting and concert is free and open to the public.
On the program are the Ocotillo Recorders with Jim McMahon, Sue Girardeau, Reg Kahrimanis and Diane Grove playing a Brahms motet.
Hara Steiner will be playing Partita II by J.S. Bach and Bob Sladky, Marion Wolfe and Ann-Marie Schaffer will perform Max Bruch Opus 83 Nos. 1 & 2 for clarinet, viola and piano.
Marya Giesy will perform the “Winter” violin concerto from Vivaldi’s Four Seasons with the Green Valley String Ensemble featuring Jo Ann Stover, Florence Johnson, Tom Hanselmann, and Lucy Hernreid on violin; Marion Wolfe, Barbara Thatcher, Ann-Marie Schaffer on viola and cello players are Helene Benedikte, Sue Girardeau and Serene Rein. Fred Hughes will be on keyboard.
The Green Valley Chamber Music Society welcomes new audience viewers and new members, both as listeners and as musicians. The organization is open to all who wish to perform or listen to chamber music. Call Marion Wolfe, program chair, at 648-2275 for more information.
The National Active and Retired Federal Employees Association recently installed new officers. Those heading the Green Valley NARFE branch are Dave Clark, president; Jackie DeHart, vice-president and Jim Carlson, secretary/treasurer.
They were installed at a ceremony a Green Valley’s Lavender Restaurant by Jane Pall, NARFE District II vice-president.
The mission of NARFE is to protect the earned benefits of all civilian federal employees, active and retired.
The local NARFE branch also raises funds to support Alzheimer’s research, as well as provide donation so local agencies.
NARFE meets on the second Friday on each month at 12:30 p.m. from September to June at Friends In Deed. All active and/or retired federal employees are encouraged to attend.
The “Painting in the Desert Art Show” opens Jan. 18 and runs through Feb. 14 in the West Center lobby. The featured artists are locals John Browne, Mary Smith and Tom Allen. Their work includes not only desert scenes, but also paintings of views they’ve captured in their summer home states and vacation spots in Minnesota, Montana and Oregon.
The show is free and open to the public.
rford@gvnews.com
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