California city approves 25-cent fee on disposable cups

[Sparko]

Yeah, when I was younger, I hated it when, particularly older people, tried to give me money for doing something I intended to do out of the goodness of my heart. Then one day it dawned on me that the little old lady across the street wasn't calling me anymore to help her do stuff - like crawl up in the attic and light the pilot light on her furnace when it blew out. I happened to talk to her daughter one day and asked about her, and mentioned she doesn't call me anymore. She said "momma is of that mentality that good deeds need to be rewarded, and if you don't accept her generosity, you're cheating her out of a blessing".

wow

Yeah, I know that's a little different than "tipping the bagger", but we are taught to be gracious givers - sometimes we need to be gracious receivers, as well.

As a pirate I am always a gracious receiver. So if you want blessings, you can always give to me. Gold, Bacon, Grog. etc.

[Mountain Man]

I'm lucky enough to be able to shop at Aldi, as the Chicago area has had them for close to forty years now. The alteration to your life to carry around reusable bags in your trunk is negligible. The only real irritation is poses is when some newbie walks off with your shopping cart quarter and you're too cringe-sensitive to ask for it back.

When my wife and I used to share a car, she tried to keep a permanent "Aldi quarter" in the ash tray that I would inevitably spend without thinking. She got so fed up one day that she took a quarter, painted it bright orange, and wrote the word "ALDI" on it with marker. Coincidentally, I never spent her Aldi quarter again.

[Cow Poke]

When I was in Central America we were told to always graciously accept any offers to feed us even if we knew those offering it could ill afford to do so. That was because refusing because we didn't want to burden those offering would be taken as an insult to their offer of hospitality.

At a previous church, our church building was on a main highway, so we operated a "coffee tent" (like the CB and REACT clubs used to do) on major holidays so people could pull over in the middle of the night, stretch their legs, have some coffee and use the restroom, and get back on their holiday driving.

We frequently had people wanting to give us money for what we were doing.

Our policy was

• to NOT have a "cash can" or anything that indicated we were receiving "tips" or donations
• to politely and firmly decline any offers of money
• to accept if they absolutely insisted

Long story short, a couple stopped at 2 AM one morning, the wife got out and asked for two cups of coffee "to go" - her husband was still in the car. She explained that he wasn't feeling well - his Dad was in the hospital in Killeen and wasn't expected to live through the night.

One of our guys walked over to the car and asked if we could have a quick word of prayer with him, and he agreed, so we gathered round him, prayed, and they continued on their journey.

The next Sunday, one of my Deacons told me that a lady had stopped by just before Church and gave him an envelope to give to me. It was from that woman's husband. He had, indeed, gotten to the hospital in time to spend about 10 minutes with his Dad before his dad passed, and she was just so grateful that we ministered to him.

I opened the envelope from the pulpit (it was already time for church to start) and read the thank you letter to the congregation, and shared the fact that it included a check for $5,000 for our ministry. (but grateful)

[Mountain Man]

When I was in Central America we were told to always graciously accept any offers to feed us even if we knew those offering it could ill afford to do so. That was because refusing because we didn't want to burden those offering would be taken as an insult to their offer of hospitality.

In college, I worked with a fellow from an African nation who said that in his country, if you went to someone's house and they did not offer you a meal then you had the right to feel insulted.

[Cow Poke]

In college, I worked with a fellow from an African nation who said that in his country, if you went to someone's house and they did not offer you a meal then you had the right to feel insulted.

We have a gentleman in our Church from Nigeria -- if you visit him at his house, you cannot leave without some kind of gift --- the last time it was a bottle of fizzy non-alcoholic grape juice.

[Sparko]

We have a gentleman in our Church from Nigeria -- if you visit him at his house, you cannot leave without some kind of gift --- the last time it was a bottle of fizzy non-alcoholic grape juice.

What? He didn't give you $400 Million dollars?

[Cow Poke]

What? He didn't give you $400 Million dollars?

No, but I LOVE to hear him pray!