mandy....

As some of you know, I have a niece named Mandy. She's the daughter I never had although my sister Cindy says I can't adopt her. She called us....US...Debbie and me...old and worn out....boring beyond human concept, and asked us to meet her for dinner Wednesday evening at our favorite cholesterol hangout, Chapp's Hamburgers. The wind was blowing. It was about 40 below zero..a terrible night to be out but of course we went because A) Mandy asked us, and B) it was Chapp's we were talking about. You don't turn down a Chapp's opportunity. There was no reason to meet. There was no news or family disaster. Mandy just wanted to visit! I love Mandy. While we were waiting for our shots of cholesterol I was telling about a woman I knew  who didn't own a coat. Mandy didn't even hesitate before offering her own coat for the woman. I told her she shouldn't do that. Some of us would get together and buy the lady a coat but Mandy insisted. She did have another coat after all! I couldn't convince her not to give the coat away so after we ate and were standing out on that cold and windy sidewalk, Mandy handed me her coat. I gave it to the lady the next morning and she cried. She couldn't believe a total stranger would do such a thing. I told her this was no stranger...it was my niece Mandy.