Ted's Washers
A friend's example of being generous with his "time, talents, and treasures"
When I heard the crunch of the front bumper against the parking block, I cringed. That doesn’t sound good.
Slowly, I opened my door and walked to the front of the car, trying to prolong the moment before I had to face the damage. Upon inspection, I realized that this particular parking block was unusually tall, and the bottom of my bumper had gotten stuck on it. When I tried to back up, the right half of the bumper detached from the frame—leaving the bottom piece dragging against the ground.
I was reluctant to tell my parents, but they were kind and understanding. It helped that the car was practically as old as I was!
Not knowing how expensive the repair might be, my dad suggested reaching out to Ted, our close family friend who is a retired mechanic. He’s serviced our cars for as long as I can remember, and we’ve always trusted his judgment.
I sent him a text with photos of the damage and asked him if it looked like an easy fix or something that would be more costly.
A short while later, Ted called and assured me it was a simple fix—one he’d be happy to do himself. I was relieved and so grateful. Two days later, he showed up at my house.
But here’s what made it special: instead of fixing the bumper quickly on his own, he turned it into a teaching moment. He invited me to be his assistant, showing me exactly what had broken and how he planned to repair it. Lying under the car, he pointed to the detached piece and explained how we’d reattach it.
“All we need is a washer,” he said.
I went to the garage to look for one. How hard could it be to find a washer? Apparently harder than we thought. Drawer after drawer revealed screws, nails, and plenty of other tiny tools—but no washer.
Ted waited patiently, chatting with me as I searched. And just when we were about to give up—I found one. Together, we used the washer to reconnect the bumper and looked proudly upon our work.
Before Ted left, he talked with my mom and me about a recent health scare he had. Tears welled in our eyes as he shared an update with us. While his initial diagnosis was frightening, his doctor found that the presence of the disease was so small, he didn’t even need treatment. By the grace of God, he would be okay.
Here was a man who understood the gift of life—and chose to live it generously.
That night, we saw Ted again at a spontaneous birthday celebration for a mutual friend. After surprising our friend with cake and flowers, Ted handed me a small golden box tied with a polka-dot ribbon. I looked at him, confused. It’s not my birthday. He smiled and told me to open it.
As soon as I opened it, I let out a laugh. It was a bag of washers! And resting on top was a piece of paper with a handwritten poem. Ted’s wife explained that he came up with the poem all on his own that day. We were all so impressed! He was a man of many talents.
“WITH A LOCK YOU NEED A KEY
WITH A CUP YOU NEED A SAUCER
BUT WHEN IT COMES TO FIXING CARS
YOU SHOULD ALWAYS HAVE A WASHER.”
-My friend, Ted
There was something so special about this gift. It was thoughtful, personal, and creative. It was practical (my favorite kind of gift). But more than anything, it reminded me of the experience we shared.
My dad often reminds me of the Biblical concept that to be good stewards of the resources God has given us, we can be generous with our “time, talents, and treasures.” As I think about Ted’s generosity and kindness that day, I realize he gifted me all three.
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This made me so happy :)