Paying it forward----tell us your tale (no bragging)

[Lallans]

No kilts in the story here, but the people involved are Scots descendants....

Back in the 1970s I had just moved to a new rural area in Ontario, one that was poor farm land and mostly, as they say, 'returning to nature,' and had found the local farmers and landowners very hostile to anyone traipsing on their 'property', even if it was long-abandoned pastureage and woodlot. This was not what I had been used to, and as a birder and hunter I found it discouraging to say the least. The first grouse season found me walking the edges of scattered small plots of land that had been posted 'For Sale'- the reasoning being that I could claim that I was looking to buy the property and just happened to have my DBBL barrel with me and it seemed like a shame to leave it in the car... (I should mention here that Ontario has some really severe laws on the books against trespassing). Anyway, on one of those visits, I managed to drop both wheels on the passanger side of my car off the edge of the road and hang them in the air, effectively paralzying it against any possibility of driving away. After some ineffective efforts at building a mini stone wall to traction the wheels, I decided there was nothing for it but a tow truck and walked to the next farmhouse which was faaarrr down the road, and went to the door to ask them to call someone- half expecting to be 'run off' with a pitchfork. Of course the farmer rousted himself away from the supper table, ran his tractor out to the spot and yanked my car back onto firm land in no time- and what's more, after I'd thanked the dear man and admitted what I'd been doing "parking" there, he gave me permisson to hunt over his kilometers-long stretches of land on both sides of the road: I'd suddenly become his good friend on the basis that he rescued me! I made up my mind then and there that if I ever needed a favour from someone in that area, I'd show up at their house stranded or perhaps even bleeding and injured, depending on the nature of my request....

Anyway, after all these years I still carry a warm feeling for the old gent, long gone though he must be.

[Mike_Oettle]

The kilt-wearing fraternity is a great one (on or off X Marks), I am discovering.
X Marks member Orangehaggis kindly sent me a beret tam last year, and has just put another in the post.
We have not yet agreed on what he will get in return (despite urging on my part), but it is supposed to be an exchange.
And on Saturday I phoned an old acquaintance to ask whether I might borrow a sporran for Sunday (my kilt in the Mighty Men tartan having arrived on Friday). She only had small sporrans for boys to wear at her Highland dancing classes, but she gave me the name of a Scot who lives about halfway between where I live and where I work.
He was only too pleased to lend me a black leather sporran for the day.
And when I returned it on Monday afternoon, he said he had some old sporrans that had belonged to his father-in-law. I said I would like to buy one, but he insisted on giving me one.
Pictures will follow when I have a chance . . .
Regards,
Mike

[Old Hippie]

I'll take the opportunity here to throw the shout out to two members who have helped me:

The first is our brother Tim (Mac Ghille Sheathanaich) who heard my complaint that I could not find wool Melton fabric in my local area for making some Glengarries. He very generously sent me a piece of fabric he had which had more than enough "meat" in it for two and possibly three hats.

The second is our brother Laurie (RB51) who graciously loaned me a jacket for the Kamloops St. Andrews Caledonian Society Burns Night, so I could assist in the festivities by escorting the haggis.

I'd also mention Alan H for putting the X-kilt instructions in the public domain, as well as all the other folks who've shared your how-to and DIY adventures (Phil's bow ties, eh!).

By such acts we knit our community together.

[Coastie]

This is not kilt or even Scot's related but it's such an incredible story (IMHO) that I have to share....
A few years ago my wife and I were returning from a camping vacation to our home. It was a very hot day and the AC in the house hadn't really kicked in since we were just home. My wife had removed her wedding and engagment rings and had them stored in a plastic case with our tolietries. She pulled out some stuff and the plastic case with her rings fell into the sink and both rings went down the drain with the water running. She turned the water off and we simply decided that we would not use that sink and I would pull the rings from the trap in the morning. The next morning I checked and the rings were not in the trap. We have municiple sewer and after a few phone calls it was determined that the rings were gone.

2 days shy of 1 year later I come home to find an envelope in my mailbox. In the envelope was both rings along with a note saying "I think your wife lost these and I thought she would want them back". The note was not signed and there was no postage or return address on the envelope. It's been 3 years now and to this day we still have no idea who returned the rings, how they found them or how they even knew who they belonged too or where we lived.

Amazing, It is great to hear all these stories and this one in particular when folks don't even want the slightest recognition. It is wonderful to hear these kinds of stories affirming the basic good in mankind I sometimes forget is there.