Small Town-Big Heart

Cold, snowy weather is not a good friend with folks who are saddled with a stage 4 lung disease. We struggle to breathe on the best of days, and on the worst of days, well, it becomes so overbearing that you begin to fear that you may not make it through the day. Everyday life and everyday responsibilities, however, do not stop because you are having a bad breathing day or because the temperature is 3 degrees above zero.

Yesterday was one of those days for me. There was a perfect storm brewing for my crippled lungs because not only was it bitter cold, I was having a very bad breathing day. Wait a minute, I am not finished with my tale of woe. It was also"bill" day for the Cedar Street Kid. Yes, you know, that day when you eagerly await your incoming money only to sit down at the end of the day and are close to tears when you realize that you are broke again after paying rent, Avista, Suddenlink, car payment, car insurance payment, misc, items, gas for the car,, and oh yes, that little item called food, but I digress from my topic of the day.

One day each month because of the way our finances are set up, it is essential that I go to the bank in person. To a person without a disability, is not normally a problem, but with one------
Anway, I have to sign in person and even though my wife helps me get in, it is still hard on good days, and on days like yesterday it is downright frightening.

When we were living in Coeur D' Alene, I asked the bank if my wife could just come in and sign for me, but I was told that I had to come in.However, since it was such a cold day, and my lungs were already bad that day, my wife went into the bank here and asked if she could sign for me. we expected the same curt "No" that we had received in CDA.

As I was sitting in ou car waiting for my wife to come back out, the passenger door opened and a woman's voice asked how I was doing. I turned to look,, and there was the smiling face of the bank teller. She asked me if my wife had my permission to sign for me and how much cash did I want. I have never felt more grateful for this show of kindness.

Yes, there are good people in the world. And yes, this, finally, was the Wallace that I knew growing up.-small town but a big heart.