It was a beautiful March day, and it was one of the first time in many months we saw the sun, felt its warmth, and opened our windows. We don’t get too many sunny days in Oneonta, therefore, whenever the sun comes out, it seems like everyone is out and about. Joggers, walkers, bikers, and dog owners streamed across the sidewalk in front of our building. The smell of neighborhood bar-b-que was in the air. We were setup with the doors open, letting the sun and air come inside where our friend Max was volunteering his barber skills.
There was a steady stream of customers during our three hours of offering free haircuts. Max did a great job and everyone looked fantastic after a trim. We had a few older gentlemen and there were several children. One family of five hit the breaks when they saw our “Free Haircuts” sign by the road. The mother told us she saw the sign and thought, “Oh, we have to do this!” It was great to help a family where buying everyone a haircut means spending an easy $100. It was nice to bless this family, and it was also great telling them about our upcoming Parent's Night Out where we babysit and the parents get a free dinner at Joe Ruffino's (you can tell by the look on their face that it has been awhile since their last date night).
It was a treat to play with the kids as they waited, and it was encouraging to see the old building come alive with families and children. Kaler, who is keenly aware of a child’s need to play, rummaged through our stuff and found a somewhat deflated ball and some chalk. (We’re going to have to stock up on better supplies for kids.) The beautiful thing about kids is that, even though our toys were not so hot, they still had a blast. They smiled, laughed, and jumped around, enjoying every moment. They tossed a ball around, climbed the poles under our awning, and made chalk drawings on the sidewalk.
It was a good day for socializing. Several friends stopped by to visit. We got to meet a local pastor’s wife who dropped in to see what was going on. Little did we know that she and her husband were living in the neighborhood all this time. We love doing these events as an excuse to finally meet the people in our neighborhood. Our church is in a high density neighborhood and I often long to get to know the people beyond our door step.
Thanks again to our friend Max and his family for participating in this AoK with us. We couldn’t have done it without them, and if we had, then we would have had to cut hair, and there would be a lot of people around town with bad haircuts!
Feel free to contact us if you wish to participate in any more of our upcoming acts of kindness!
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