I received my key with "Grateful" engraved on it 2 days ago. (By the way I picked out Grateful because I love the Dead!!!)
My dad who is 95 years old lives with me. We just got a new caretaker for Dad, Anita C; she is God sent. Dad has not been doing well and I thought he was close to death 2 days ago. Anita has a way about her that allows Dad to open up in ways he can't with me. She is a down to earth woman with a huge loving heart. She and I clicked right off the bat; in fact we love a lot of the same things and call each other sisters.
I showed Anita my necklace and the story and told her she had to look at the Giving Key site. When I saw her again, Anita saw I was wearing my necklace and commented that she hasn't looked at the site yet.
Today I gave Gary's wife her key; for being Dad's angel. I started telling her how truly grateful I was that she came into our lives and gave her the necklace. With tears in her eyes she thanked and hugged me. I told her now when you truly feel you are grateful for someone pass it on. She smiled and said, "I will, thank you!!!!"
After I gave Anita the key, her husband told me a story... Many years ago, around Thanksgiving, he saw a homeless man eating a can of dog food. He bought the man a bucket of chicken. He gave it to the man he tucked it under his arm and finished the dog food. He continued to see this man, around the same time of year in all different locations. He always went out of his way to get to the man and either give him food or warm clothes; he never spoke. He saw the man at the end of a runway near the airport again one day, with cardboard boxes set up for shelter. He approached the man, and this time the man said, "I know you, were you in the Army?" They both were. The man said that Gary had helped him time and again and he had something for him. He pulled out a long sock from his clothes and pulled out locks. He then pulled a lock out with a key in it, closed the lock and gave Gary the key. He said it was his Key to Heaven.
I will be buying another...
-Debbi
