November 9th, 2009

Ralph Waldo Emerson once wrote, “There is no scale or chart on earth to measure what a friend if worth.” That particular sentiment was acted out in my life this weekend through the kindness of my friend Cindy McIntosh. Cindy is the coordinator of the annual 4-H Leadership Conference. More than a year ago she invited me to be the keynote speaker at the first night of the conference. I was pleased to do so. The event was held in beautiful Monterey. When I arrived was struggling with another incident involving my brother in federal prison. I wanted so much to forget about that for just one night, but I guess it wasn’t meant to be. Cindy greeted me at the event with enthusiasm and excitement that I was going to be speaking. I set up my table of books and hurried off to have dinner with her. The event was the most organized one I’d ever had the privilege of being involved. Everyone at the conference was incredibly kind. With all that’s happened in the last five years that’s a rarity. After the speaking engagement and selling many books to attendees (thank you Carol Scofield – I couldn’t have done all that without you), I was packing up my stuff to get ready to leave. As I noted, I now had to be somewhere else after the talk. Cindy came by and suggested I leave everything there and that she would make sure I got it all back. I still had books left over and she believed more conference goers would want to buy them. I had to leave, but was not worried about what would happen to the left over books, money, posters, bins, all the things that one has to take with them on the road. I couldn’t believe she offered to let me leave the things these and bring them back to Nevada County for me. It was a kind gesture right in the heart of a difficult time. A kind gesture right in the heart of a time when I struggle with trusting at all. After hugging Cindy for the fourth time she said, “See, there are still some good people left in the world.” She’s right. My faith in such things has been eroded away since the incident involving my brother. I thought I was going to Monterey simply to give a speech about women of the Old West. I did, but God used it to show me that the goodness in mankind is not completed gone. Thank you Cindy, for being the instrument he used to show me that truth. I’m grateful.