LETTERS: GOOD NEIGHBORS IN STORM'S WAKE

To the editor:

Random acts of kindness continue. We were out of town when the severe storm hit Cape Girardeau May 17. While in Virginia, we learned about the storm from our friends, Lee and Kathryn. They checked our house and reported by e-mail that the house was OK, but there were limbs of all sizes strewn throughout the back yard. In their words, it was a mess.

They called AmerenUE and reported a limb on a power line which was removed shortly thereafter. Lee suggested that we could wait until we got home to get the mess cleaned up.

As we drove home from Virginia, we were preoccupied with thoughts of cleaning up the mess. We arrived here about 6:30 p.m. last Tuesday, and we were astonished to see the mess stacked up across 50 feet of our front curb apparently waiting to be picked up by the city.

I recognized the pickup truck parked in our driveway and noticed the gate to the back yard was open. Lo and behold, there was Bob Talley, a retired UE jack-of-all-trades and golfing buddy of mine, picking up the last part of the mess with a trash can. We were overwhelmed.

Earlier that afternoon, after playing golf, Bob had heard we were due back that night. He rushed to our home with a hand saw and his big heart and strong back. He was disappointed that we caught him in the act. He had hoped to get away before we arrived home.

We gave him our heartfelt thanks, to which he responded: "Hey, it was just a small random act of kindness."

Thank you Lee and Kathy Weed for watching out for us. And thank you, Bob Talley, for a random act of kindness which we will never forget. By the way, Bob had to rush home shortly after we arrived to celebrate the birthday of his wife, Shirley. What a guy.

RON and CHARLOTTE HERR

Cape Girardeau