It was the day before Thanksgiving and as usual, I was in a hurry. Instead of wandering up and down the endless aisles of my local Home Depot, I stopped, looked at the badge of one of the clerks in aisle 47, and quickly asked. “Derrick, where are the home air conditioning filters?”
The young clerk greeted me with a big, bright smile then turned to the person aside him as if to confirm. “Aisle 43.”
“Thank you,” I said and zipped to Aisle 43. I didn’t realize Derrick was following until a voice behind me said. “Let me show you.”
After I decided on the package of three air filters, Derrick said to his co-worker, Ron. “She needs a cart.”
While I waited for Derrick to return with the cart, I asked the clerk. “Is Derrick in training?”
Ron pointed to his badge identifying him as a trainer for Ken’s Krew. I had never heard of Ken’s Krew. Ron filled me in on the history of the organization, and the part he played in working with employees like Derrick. He told me Derrick had computer training, but today was his first day on the floor.
When Derrick returned with a cart, I introduced myself. “Derrick, my name is Diane Jellen and I have a blog about codependency. Do I have your permission to share with my readers how helpful you have been?”
Derrick, who is originally from Kingston, Jamaica, answered with his signature great big smile. “Yes. Will it be a YouTube Video blog?”
“No.” I added. “I wasn’t filming our interaction. Maybe next time.”
As I scrambled through my purse to give Derrick and Ron my business card, Ron reached into his pocket and pulled out his bronze eighteen-month chip from Celebrate Recovery, a Christ-centered 12-Step program.
Friends, just think, if I had worn my codependent “I can do it myself” attitude scurrying up and down the aisles—feeling flustered, I would have missed an opportunity to have a young man help me locate the AC filters, and a shopping cart. I would not have met Ron who is also a friend of “Bill.” I would not have learned about Ken’s Krew which was founded in my home state of Pennsylvania.
Check out the attached link to Ken’s Krew website. Perhaps, there is a need in your community for a Ken’s Krew training center, to empower more ambassadors of goodwill like Derrick, and his mentor, Ron. If so, maybe you’re the one who could make it happen.
http://kenskrew.org/index.html
“All of you involved with Ken’s Krew should take great pride in what you have accomplished – what you are doing for these wonderful people is nothing short of spectacular. I am so honored to have a minor part in this effort.” — Ken Langone, Co-Founder of the Home Depot
The king will say to them, “Whenever you failed to help any of my people, no matter how unimportant they seemed, you failed to do it for me” (Matthew 25:45 CEV).
