July 11, 2023

We spent all day driving again today. We had beautiful though warm weather, maybe I’d even call it hot!

 

I want to give a shout out to farmers. Indiana, Missouri and Kansas showed us thousands and thousands of acres of corn and soybeans. These people feed us; they feed the world.

 And I have to give another shout out to truckers! I know sharing the highways with them can be tedious. They hasten downhill only to slow on the climb to the next. They are loud HUGE. If I walk into a store, any store, I’d be hard pressed to find anything that wasn’t delivered by a truck.

 

Whenever I see these big rigs rolling down the highway, I remember my late friend Anthony Domino. I met Anthony when I was working in the laundry at the Beacon. He wanted to know if I’d wash his sheets. I thought of how nice it was to have freshly washed sheets; I knew the sheets would dry fast; I told him yes.

 

Anthony was very appreciative. He came in often, usually with his million-dollar smile. He’d ask for a T-shirt with no spots because he had a lead about a job. When he got that job at a downtown lunch place, he brought me a salad for lunch. When times were tough for Anthony, he took responsibility for his mistakes. His positive attitude always came through.

 

When Anthony successfully finished truck-driver school and started driving cross-country, he told me how much I had helped him. I told him I hadn’t done anything more than believe in him.

 He saw our country, east coast to west coast, northern border to southern. No matter where Anthony was, he kept up with his family and friends. I am proud to have been one of those friends. I think of him often. This quote makes me think of my friend, may he rest in peace.

 

“Life is short. We don't have much time to gladden the hearts of those who walk this way with us. So, be swift to love and make haste to be kind.” ― Henri-Frédéric Amiel