No matter the season, we look out for each other

Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 02/08/2023 (827 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

After the snow melts, I often wonder what acts of kindness readers will tell us about. During our long, cold winters, Manitobans regularly look out for each other, so we receive dozens of letters and emails telling us about people helping stranded drivers or those who have slipped on icy pavement.

What more can we do to help each other out?

I hope this sampling of this month’s submissions will give you some idea, as it’s obvious that there are many ways we can be kind to and for each other.

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Joanne Single wrote to tell us about her mother, a Fort Garry senior who put her time to good use during the pandemic lockdowns we all endured over the past three years:

“I’m not sure if this qualifies as a Random Act of Kindness but I would like to share with you about my mother Patricia (Pat).

“She has been retired now for almost 20 years. During the pandemic, she, like most seniors, stayed in where she felt safest.

“My mother likes to keep busy. So out came her knitting needles and she started to knit. She has always knitted mittens for the local ‘mitten tree’, to donate to shelters or for the grandkids and neighbours next door, but she wanted to knit something else.

“In my mother’s collection of wool, she happened to have a bag of ‘baby wool’. So she started knitting baby hats and mitts for newborns. She has knitted hundreds of matching mitts and hats and has donated them to the neonatal unit at St. Boniface Hospital.

“She hasn’t stopped knitting and is always coming up with new creative ideas.”

I’m pretty sure that qualifies, Joanne. Thanks for telling us about Pat.

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Donna Book sent in a message which had been dictated to her by her 94-year old mother, Shirley, after Good Samaritans helped the older woman out in Assiniboine Park on July 1:

“Canada Day was hot. Too hot for a foolish old lady to wait in a line for an ice cream cone. The heat got to me, and somehow I slid down to the ground. A nice young man came to offer me a bottle of water and said my friend and I could sit at their table as they were leaving soon. I did not get his name but he and his family were so very kind to us.

“I want him to know how grateful we are for his kindness.”

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John Hindle, one of our community correspondents for St. Vital, sent a message on behalf of friend Jerry Ilchyna, who wanted to say thanks to Sherry Tetterly and her son, Barrett who live in Anola:

“On Friday, July 7 at 3 p.m., I was driving west on Highway 15 when the left rear tire went flat. This was noticed by the driver of an eastbound car, which made a U-turn and stopped behind me, off the road on the shoulder.

“She introduced herself as Sherry Tetterly and offered to remove the tire and replace it with the spare. She laid flat on the road and placed the jack, which she then cranked up to remove and then replace the tire. At my age, I would not physically be able to do what Sherry did. And she did this with such positive spirit and a constant smile.

“Her son, Barrett, played a great part in helping his mom. I am so appreciative and want to recognize her gracious act.”

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Lynn Checkley wrote to tell us about the kindness of strangers that she and her grandson Jacob experienced after a Winnipeg Sea Bears basketball game at Canada Life Centre:

“(I want) to share how much my grandson and I appreciated the two young gentleman (in the excitement of the moment we did not get their names) we met after the Sea Bears game on Tuesday, July 11, in front of Winnipeg Police headquarters, as well as the officers we met there.

“Our grandson was visiting from Alberta and attended his very first professional basketball game. The game was a close one and he thoroughly enjoyed the experience and saw himself on the Jumbotron a few times.

“On the way to the car, he realized he had lost his phone (and) quickly started to retrace his steps. A policeman in a cruiser asked what had happened and (told Jacob) to go back to Canada Life Centre to speak to security.

“As our grandson rounded the corner of police headquarters, two young guys noticed the concern on his face and asked if he had lost his phone. When he said ‘Yes,’ they said they had just turned one in with the police.

“Bless them both! If they read this, you are outstanding citizens of our fine city. At police headquarters our grandson was able to identify his phone quickly and our evening ended on a high note.

“The kindness of the two young gentleman the policeman in the cruiser, the two off-duty officers who pointed us to the correct door, and the wonderful officer who had the phone, plus asked how the game had gone made us both feel so grateful, comforted and relieved.

“Thank you all so very much!”

Tell us about random acts of kindness you’ve witnessed or experienced by sending an email to CRnews@freepress.mb.ca