It’s The Cowboy Way – Assistance League

One of the many reasons I enjoy volunteering at our Resale Store is that I witness random acts of kindness. I would like to tell you about one of those acts.
On a Saturday, I was behind the counter when a gentleman, sporting a well-worn cowboy hat, jeans and a prominent western belt buckle, came up and asked to see some jewelry we had on display. As he inspected a bracelet, a caregiver wheeled an elderly woman up to the counter. The lady expressed admiration for the pieces in our jewelry case. She began to share that she could no longer use her walker and had resigned herself to being wheelchair bound, but noted that it did put her at just the right height to see the beautiful jewelry.
The cowboy had overheard what the woman was saying. He leaned down next to her and asked, “Which piece do you find pretty?” The woman pointed to a necklace made of jet-black glass beads. The cowboy agreed that it was lovely.
As I rang up his purchases, the cowboy quietly asked me to add the necklace to his bill and to give it to the elderly lady after he had left the shop. As he stepped out of the door, I took the price tag off, placed the necklace around the woman’s neck and said, “This is a gift from that gentleman you just met.” Tears instantly appeared in her eyes. “Oh my, no one has ever done something like this for me. I can’t believe it!” Because of a kind act, a necklace that had a $4.00 price tag instantly became a priceless treasure.
The following week, I was once again at the Resale Store. The door opened and in walked the cowboy. I told him how delighted and touched the woman was, along with all of us who had witnessed his kind deed. He simply looked at me, tipped his hat and said, “Well, that’s the cowboy way.”