Tomorrow (Saturday) is our annual bell ringing for Salvation Army in Mason City. A group from Clarion will drive that direction. Eat lunch together. And ring bells for two hours, working in teams, beginning at noon, at six locations.

It started because of an incidence in our family!

When my husband, Jim, was in the Army in the early 1960s, he was stationed at a base in New Jersey. He and two other soldiers went to New York City to see the sights one weekend. While he was there, someone stole his billfold!

He looked for ways to return to New Jersey, deciding to go to Salvation Army for help. What could they do? The organization would not give him money; instead a volunteer walked with him to a bus station to purchase a ticket. Handing a few more dollars to help buy food on the trip back.

As Jim got ready to step on the bus, he turned to ask the volunteer, how he would pay them back. The response back was, "You don't pay us back. Just remember us whenever you see a red kettle!"

For maybe twenty years, we have done this 'ringing'. We have as our goal to raise $1,000 from our six buckets. Several weeks later, we get a report from their office, did we make our goal? More times than not we do!

Did the Salvation Army volunteer know what he was telling Jim, as we left New York City? Probably not.  

And all before anyone knew the words 'Pay It Forward!'