Valentine's Flowers 09'

Our graphic artist, Crystal Kurz has been designing – among many other pages – all of the stunningly beautiful front pages for the past seven years. On Friday, Feb. 13, she really surprised me with a bouquet of three pink and three red roses and a heart-shaped box of chocolates.
I wasn’t sure how I was going to carry all that to my car because I also had a big briefcase and purse. I left the office with the briefcase and purse in my right hand, and my left arm was wrapped around this big water-filled vase with sweet scented roses and green foliage, covered with clear plastic that was tied closed on top with a bow. (See page NAT 16 for a photo of one of those roses.)
As I left the building, I saw a beggar sitting on the sidewalk a few yards in front of my path. He had a cup filled with change. I usually have quarters to feed the parking meters that I give but I sure didn’t want to stop and dig around for them right then, so I looked away.
As I passed him he said politely, “Ma’am, you have such beautiful flowers!”
“Would you like one?” I replied.
His sad eyes lit up as he stood and commented, “Yes, but I don’t think I can accept it, and it would be hard to get one out.”
As I pulled the ribbon to untie the plastic wrap, I said, “It’s not that complicated.” Continuing, I said, “I was not expecting to get these. Imagine how the one who gave them to me would have felt if I had said I can’t accept them.”
“Oh, okay,” he mumbled as he picked out a red rose. “Thank you, ma’am,” he said gratefully.
Then I said, “I think you need a pink one to go with it.”
As he picked out a pink rose, some of the green leaves were stuck to the stem. “Keep those also.” I said.
“Thank you, ma’am, no one has ever done anything this nice for me,” he responded with a big grin.
“Happy Valentine’s Day!” I replied cheerfully as I walked away.
My car was around the corner. After loading up and driving back I looked for the man in the spot where I had seen him, and no one was there. I didn’t see him walking down the street or anywhere. He had completely disappeared.
Since I got so much mileage from two of the roses, I decided to stop on my way home at MorningSide, an assisted living residence where one fourth of the residents are Jewish. With a hug and a kiss on the cheek, I gave away one more of the pink roses to a woman who attended the same synagogue where my family and I attended services every Saturday morning when I was growing up. I got a big smile and kiss in return.
After you read the column by my brother, Rabbi Benzion Cohen, you might deduce that these little kindnesses that are tremendously appreciated take ten minutes to do and bring as much or more happiness to the giver as they do to the recipient.

2-18-09