It was the right thing to do

[Cliff Holmes]

At least, that's what I keep telling myself ...

I got a call from a member of our church. He knows I'm into woodworking, so he thinks I might be interested in this thing he needs to get rid of.

It seems that a family member bought him a circular saw as a gift a year or two ago, a "weird, off-brand" he's never heard of. He tells me he just now got around to opening it and it's defective, it "starts up real slow". And asks me if I want it.

After having him describe it, I realize he's got a Festool tracksaw. A TS75, to be exact.

So I explain to him that what he's got is a really nice saw that cost his relative about $600 and that "soft start" is a feature, not a defect.

A free TS75 vs doing right by an elderly member of my church. Yeah, I did the right thing.

I think ...

[Art Mulder]

You did. And so would I.
But I also would have felt the whisper of temptation... :p

[Bruce Page]

Cliff, you did the right thing, but you already know that.

[Cliff Holmes]

I also would have felt the whisper of temptation... :p

Oh, it was way more than a whisper. That little horned guy on my shoulder was yakkin' up a storm.

[Lee Koepke]

You now have a good deed headed your way. It may take awhile, but it WILL show up.

[Will Overton]

You know if you took it, your church would collapse the next time you walked in. :)

Of course you did the right thing!

[Jim Rimmer]

That guy trusts you now. Who knows what he may offer the next time. Ya done good. And doesn't it feel good? :D

[Prashun Patel]

Honesty and dishonesty always come back around.

Good on ya!

[Tim Elder]

Sometimes it seems like it wouldn't be right if it wasn't painful - DOH!

What you need to do now is work on getting that family member to "adopt" you as an extended family member. Probably wouldn't rate you getting a Festool, but maybe a Dewalt or Makita track saw...:)

[Paul McGaha]

Good Man Cliff.

it was the right thing to do.

PHM

[Peter Quinn]

You're a good man Cliff, and that IMO is its own reward. I'm sure the lord wouldn't hold it against you if you offered to "take a look" at that saw, being your good with tools, and may be able to help the gentleman work out the kinks with it. Maybe cut a few boards in the interest of making sure its safe. Building a kitchen or two in the process....:eek:

Just kidding about that second part. Sounds like a great way to get to know someone better too!

[Don Whitten]

You now have a good deed headed your way. It may take awhile, but it WILL show up.
Thats right, a blessing is headed your way.

[Jon Prouty]

You done good... tempting but you did the right thing.

JP

[John Mark Lane]

Damn, I love stories like this. Every time I think humanity has gone to hell in a handbasket...a bunch of woodworkers (or boatbuilders, or even motorcycle mechanics) prove me wrong. Good on you, Cliff! Your integrity has effects far beyond your church.

On the topic of churches....

I have been a bad church member. I go infrequently, don't go up and drink the funny juice (I didn't grow up Catholic, like my wife), and sin regularly.

Earlier this year, when my wife was diagnosed with breast cancer, a bunch of people in our community stepped up to help, in more ways than I thought possible. Many of them were from our church, and many of those who weren't are good church-goers to other denominations.

It changed me.

When night after night people leave food, flowers, cards and other expressions of love and support on your doorstep, and you see that they are people you don't even know, but they're members of the congregation at your church... it touches the heart strings.

Churches are about community, or at least should be. And that includes total honesty with our fellows.

Anyway...uh, what happened to the saw? I'll pay $100 for it today. :)

Mark

[Tom Hammond]

Three-to-one says the old guy almost never uses it, and a few years from now after he's passed on you'll find out from his widow she sold it at her cleaning-out-his-stuff garage sale for 5 bucks and 4 toaster cords. At the reading of the will, you get an honorable mention for being a "good neighbor."

Yeah... you did the right thing. But, if there wasn't any personal connection prior to the question... for example, if you found it at a garage sale for an extremely cheap price, would you have acted similarly? I'm not sure what I would do.

[george wilson]

Thinking a good thing will come back around MIGHT be hoping for pie in the sky. The only real answer is as said,doing the right thing is its own reward.

I've known PLENTY of complete jerks who still got all the way through life just fine. Any one remember Stalin?

[Chip Lindley]

Cliff, it was a TEST and you passed with Flying Colors! Amen Brother!

[Archie Sullivan]

Several others mentioned that because of your actions a blessing is headed your way. What if the saw was a blessing from a previous good deed??? (assuming that you've done more than one good deed :))

[Dan Karachio]

Good for you Cliff. I think you should enjoy it and remind your friend in a friendly joking way every time you have a chance how you saved him from giving away $600 in tools!

Also, I can speak from family experience that there are so many people out there taking advantage of older people for anything and everything you can think of. It is really awful. I think you are fully justified in now counting yourself among the good guys!

[Jerry Olexa]

You are indeed a good man!!!!

[C Scott McDonald]

Your a good man Sir.

It will come back to you one way or another.

[dirk martin]

Today I sent my neighbor boy (boy of 19 years old) up to northern Michigan to pickup a great deal I found on Craigslist for two shapers, and a stock feeder. It's a long drive, so I needed to get him a motel to stay in.

I make some phone calls, and find this really nice mom-and-pop motel, in a farm like setting. The lady told me her rate for the night for the boy, and it was very cheap...but she doesn't take credit cards.

Hmmm, I said....

She said, not to worry, they'll take care of the boy, and I can just mail a check when I have time.

Feels like the honesty of the good 'ol days.
I must say, that I ship lumber all over the U.S., and often times I'll ship before getting payment. I've not once been burned.

[Josh Bowman]

Here's a test I put to controversial situations and I find the answer usually is clear to me then.
"The right thing, is always the right thing to do"
Sounds simple, but when I'm tempted to take a short cut or the easy path, that expression has kept me on track.

[Gene Howe]

You did right, Cliff!
I'll bet he'll let you borrow it any time you need it, too.

[Neil Brooks]

With ALL respect to the OP for doing the right thing .....

Isn't it odd that we've come to live in a place where doing the right thing IS noteworthy ?

You read front-page headlines, when somebody returns a found wallet, with the money still inside.

Why ?

Guess I'm becoming An Old Fart, huh :D

I genuinely applaud the OP for doing the right thing, but ... I rather (naively) wish that we lived in a world where -- like airplane travel -- we didn't MAKE headlines when things worked ... as they were supposed to work :)

[Mike Hollingsworth]

sleep tight

[Louie Ballis]

The good feeling that you have, is worth much more than the 600 dollars that the saw is worth.

And remeber Karma's a bitch or an angel.

[Bruce Wrenn]

At least, that's what I keep telling myself ...

I got a call from a member of our church. He knows I'm into woodworking, so he thinks I might be interested in this thing he needs to get rid of.



A free TS75 vs doing right by an elderly member of my church. Yeah, I did the right thing.

I think ...You said elderly. Did you tell him you would like to have it later when he is finished with it. If he agrees, make sure his family is aware of his wishes for you to have it. I ran into this recently. A customer of mine had a nice 60's Delta 14" band saw, which I replaced the tires and bearings in a few years back. I told him I wanted the saw when he dies. Two months ago, he died. This week, his widow asked me if I still wanted the saw. But I know she is in debt for his care for the last two years, and she had a chance to sell saw at great deal for her. I told her to sell it, as I had other saws (which I do.) It was the right thing to do.

[Ron Jones near Indy]

You said elderly. Did you tell him you would like to have it later when he is finished with it. If he agrees, make sure his family is aware of his wishes for you to have it. I ran into this recently. A customer of mine had a nice 60's Delta 14" band saw, which I replaced the tires and bearings in a few years back. I told him I wanted the saw when he dies. Two months ago, he died. This week, his widow asked me if I still wanted the saw. But I know she is in debt for his care for the last two years, and she had a chance to sell saw at great deal for her. I told her to sell it, as I had other saws (which I do.) It was the right thing to do.

Good thing to do! You sleep well don't you?

[Ron Jones near Indy]

Way to go Cliff! You also sleep well don't you?

[Kevin Gregoire]

it feels good doing the right thing and thats just what i did this past week when i sold my bandsaw, the guy gave me $20 to much. i thought i counted right the first time but after he was gone and i was back in my house i counted again (a few times) and i was twenty long each time.

so i sent the guy an email and told him what happened, he couldnt believe i mailed him about it, it was only twenty dollars but i know it would mean a lot to me to have it back. (it is a half a tank of gas you know) so he left it up to me cause he was more then happy with the saw but i got his address and mailed it off.

anyway, i could use some good karma so hopefully this helps? ;-Þ
cause what comes around goes around, good or bad the way i see it.

[dirk martin]

With ALL respect to the OP for doing the right thing .....

Isn't it odd that we've come to live in a place where doing the right thing IS noteworthy ?

You read front-page headlines, when somebody returns a found wallet, with the money still inside.

Why ?

Guess I'm becoming An Old Fart, huh :D

I genuinely applaud the OP for doing the right thing, but ... I rather (naively) wish that we lived in a world where -- like airplane travel -- we didn't MAKE headlines when things worked ... as they were supposed to work :)


Very well said, sir. I've often wished the same.
I worked at 3Com in CA years ago, with a man named Earl. I'd lock stuff up in my desk when I'd leave work. Earl would ask my why I did that, and I said so nobody would take the stuff. He'd say "but why would they take it if it's not theirs?". I have no idea what Earl is doing today, but I can't count how many times I've wished we lived in that world.

[Prashun Patel]

With ALL respect to the OP for doing the right thing .....

Isn't it odd that we've come to live in a place where doing the right thing IS noteworthy ?

You read front-page headlines, when somebody returns a found wallet, with the money still inside.


In fact, I think the opposite: good deeds SHOULD be noteworthy. They remind us of the the right way to act. I turn on the 11:00 news and all I hear is about murder and crime. I think THAT stuff should not be noteworthy; it just desensitizes us, and does nothing to instruct or inform our daily lives. The OP's post helps me remember that people are mostly good - not bad. That kind of positive energy is and should be contagious. More of it, I say!

[Roger Warford]

Great story Cliff! I believe behavior (both good and bad) is viral. We each get to choose how we want to influence the world around us. You did the right thing and have had a far reaching positive impact (just look at the number of views and responses your post has had). Even small acts of kindness may have a huge impact on someone's life. You may not even realize it (at least in this lifetime).

[Erik Lindseth]

You know if you took it, your church would collapse the next time you walked in. :)

Of course you did the right thing!

I'd like to think I would act as admirably, but I'm not sure. I might be concerned about the above happening and this might dissuade me, I guess.

Way to do the right thing.

[Thomas Bank]

Three-to-one says the old guy almost never uses it, and a few years from now after he's passed on you'll find out from his widow she sold it at her cleaning-out-his-stuff garage sale for 5 bucks and 4 toaster cords.

Unfortunately, that happens all too often. I worked with a guy who was always complaining that he and his wife only had the one car to drive. "The transmission was out" on the other one and they didn't have the money to fix it. One day a comment was made that suddenly made me realize that all that was wrong was that the shifter linkage had come loose. Turned out the little plastic grommet holding things together had broken and I helped him fix it and all was well. Or so I thought...

Turns out that he sold the car for $500 because "it was only a matter of time before the transmission went out again..."

Some people you can't help...