Now THAT'S a Tip!

[mervap]

I think of myself as a generous tipper, but....


BROWNSVILLE, Texas (AP) -- For nearly seven years Melina Salazar did her best to put on a smile and tend to the every need of her most loyal and cantankerous customer.

She made sure his food was as hot as he wanted, even if it meant he burned his mouth. And she smiled through his demands and curses. The 89-year-old Walter "Buck" Swords obviously appreciated it, leaving the waitress $50,000 and a 2000 Buick when he died.


"I still can't believe it," the Luby's cafeteria employee told Harlingen television station KGBT-TV in an interview during which she described Swords as "kind of mean."

Swords, a World War II veteran, died in July. But Salazar learned just a few days before Christmas that he had left her the money and car. 

http://www.cnn.com/2007/US/12/29/posthumous.tip.ap/index.html

[2 of 3]

Nice! That whole pay it forward thing again.

A buddy and I used to go for dinner and a beer every week when we were young and foolish. There was a waitress there, who was so funny, we'd go just for the entertainment factor. One day she announced she was leaving, as she was "expecting"...which was strange to us...we knew she was single(part of her stand up routine). At the end of dinner, my buddy left her a $200 tip. She was so happy, but still had the sense of humour...yelling out, "No really...it's not yours! Really!" 

[chris]

i saw a piece on the news today. it featured a bank manager and the christmas bonus the employees got the year before. there was a big end of year party...and there was a game show type setting. when the final suitcase was opened, there was $50,000 in it...to be shared by the bank's 5000 employess resulting in $1000 each.

this year...the bank's management wanted to do something even more clever. each employee received the same $1000 cash...but with one stipulation. no, they did not have to pay it back. but they had to pay it forward. they had to prove (by way of videotape, i think) that they gave the cash away. not to a family member or a friend. but to someone in thier community who needed it. there were homeless shelters who benefitted. stray dog rescue homes. needy single parents. bank employees say this is the best bonus they ever recieved. getting to help others. 

i've been a grown man a long time. but i swear...ovaries are surely developing where there were none before. because i became a blubbering fool watching katie couric do a simple (and probable fluff) news piece. but there is a comfort knowing someone out there is at least trying to do something nice for people. when they don't have to.