After posting two recent reflections on Buddy and Jean Albright, I heard from their son, Ray. He told the following story to me in an email:
“Last Christmas season, after Mom's death, I was going into Kroger with Dad. He had $100 in cash for groceries. He peeled away from me and stuffed a wad of cash into the Salvation Army bell ringer's kettle. (I stopped paying attention to the bell ringers years ago.) At the checkout, he could only come up with $20. "How much did you give the Salvation Army", I asked, not wanting to believe that he gave away 80 of his 100 dollars. "Eighty dollars", he said. The next time I saw a bell ringer, I dropped some cash into the kettle.”
Buddy, you are still leading the way, still living with a generous, foolish heart. You are still “spending yourself on behalf of others.” (Isaiah 58:10) You are still inspiring me to try and live, by God’s grace, as well as you.
