Inching towards the toll at the Verrazzano-Narrows Bridge in Staten Island, Morris had just fumbled in his pocket for his wallet when he realized, with consternation, it was not there. As the long line of cars slowly snaked their way across the toll plaza, Morris checked the dashboard, the car seats, and the floor beneath him. Not there! How was he going to pay the toll and get home? Anxiously scanning the cars stretched across the toll plaza in an endless procession, Morris searched for a familiar face. He was in luck. Sitting in a car several lanes away was David, a man with whom Morris was vaguely acquainted. Morris put his car in park, dashed across the lanes that separated him from David, and hastily explained his dilemma. David reached into his wallet, and extracted the toll and handed it to Morris with a cheerful smile. “Pleasure to help you out,” he told Morris. “Hey, thanks. Next time I see you, I’ll give it back,” said Morris as he sprinted back to his car. “Forget about it!” shouted David. “Hey, it’s only a dollar!”

Twelve years later, Morris was leaving Mount Sinai Hospital in Manhattan, where he had been visiting his wife, who had just given birth. As he approached his car he noticed with chagrin that he had just preempted an offensive attack by a Department of Transportation officer who was grimly issuing tickets to cars whose meters had expired. Morris stole a look at the car parked behind his and observed that the time on the meter had expired. Out of the corner of his eye, he watched the officer’s determined approach. What a shame for this person to have to get a fifty-dollar ticket, he thought. Impulsively, he pulled four quarters out of his pocket and slipped them into the meter just as the officer advanced toward the car.

At the same time, the unknown owner of the car advanced as well, absorbing with his eye the strangely, miraculous scene: the officer’s rapid approach and Morris’s preemptive strike, as the quarters slid quickly into the slot. “Hey, thanks a lot!” said David whom Morris hadn’t seen in twelve years. They looked at each other in awe. David was also returning from a visit to Mount Sinai, where his wife had just given birth. They smiled at each other in recognition, remembering the dollar at the Verrazzano-Narrows Bridge –the very dollar that Morris had not yet had the opportunity to repay. Until now! All in God’s good time.

“Hey, one good deed deserves another!” exclaimed Morris jovially, as he shook hands with David and drove off with gratitude in his heart for this unexpected, little miracle in his life.

Story offered by Morris Devlin

Comment:
What goes around comes around. A cheerful giver will always be blessed by the Lord (2 Corinthians 9 : 7 ). Be sure to let your deeds towards others be good deeds so that God will bless you when you too are in need.

Fr. Hugh Duffy