“Let love be genuine; cling to goodness." ~ Roman
12:9
According to Ron, there was no pizza on earth better than
Valentino’s. Its dough was the perfect
combination of light inside yet crunchy on the bottom. The toppings were fresh and odorous; the
mozzarella was fresh within a few hours of when it was made.
It’d been the only place he could think of to take Emily for
their first date. Not so classy she felt
intimidated and not so down-market she felt cheated.
So for husband’s 56th birthday, Emily planned a trip back to
Omaha to treat themselves to their “gold standard’ pizza parlor. No matter how many pizza options were
available in Des Moines, they never stopped dreaming about Valentino’s, the place
they used to splurge on decades earlier when they were struggling to make ends
meet. It had never faded from their
memories, or their taste buds.
The couple's planned nostalgic getaway was interrupted by a
trip to the ICU, where they learned Ron's battle with cancer was nearing the end. The oncologist’s words cut deeper than the
Mariana Trench. “Terminal ... hospice ...
comfort care only. No more walks in the
park, no more birthdays to share, and of course, no more Valentino’s pepperoni
and mushrooms.
Knowing how much those cheesy slices meant to the grieving
couple, their son Aaron made a call to the restaurant and explained the
situation. "Maybe they’d send a
card or even an overnight frozen delivery,” he thought.
But instead of a note, he got a question: “What kind of pies would you like delivered?”
Dalton, the 18-year-old boy on the other end of the line, seized
the opportunity to get the couple their pizzas, regardless of the 150 miles
separating them.
True to his promise, Dalton packed up 4 pizzas after the
store closed at 11:00 p.m. and hopped into his car. When he finally reached the hospital more than
two hours later, he merely dropped the pies off, turning down payment, gas
money, and offers to stay the night at a hotel paid for by the family.
Instead Dalton drove home because he had to work later that
day. His manager only found out about it
when Ron's son’s Facebook post went viral; Dalton had wanted it to be kept "kinda
low key.” Remarkably kind and humble –
you don’t see enough of that these days.
Anne Frank, a young girl who knew wartime darkness, once
said, “How great it is that nobody need wait a single moment before starting to
improve the world.”
It reminds me of the power of random acts of kindness, and
how through each act, hope is reborn every time. The great news is that generosity doesn’t
command expensive gifts or herculean efforts like Dalton’s epic middle of the
night pizza delivery. One simple act can
bring unexpected sunshine into someone’s life.
It’s a gift we can all afford to give!
“Lord, make me an instrument of your peace: where
there is doubt, faith; where there’s despair, hope; where there’s darkness,
light; where there’s sadness; joy.” ~ St. Francis
