SAUCIER — Keep truckin’

This reflection was originally published June 11, 2011, three weeks after a deadly EF-5 tornado struck Joplin, Missouri:

He had no ties to the city, no family or friends there.

He’d always given to his church and helped a neighbor here and there, but he never really could afford a history of philanthropy.

Still, when he saw the tornado — splintered houses and shattered lives — his heart cried and then got creative.

Compared to those who lost it all, he was a rich man.

A quick review of his portfolio showed little liquid funds, but his assets turned out big. He had a truck, a gas card, and a few days off. He put out the word and gathered what he could, from bottled water to baby wipes.

His load was still light when he hit high gear on I-40 at Albuquerque, but he figured there would be another 760 miles of kindness ahead. “Help the People of Joplin,” the sign on his truck begged.

He couldn’t fill the truck himself, but he could give others the opportunity to care.

He had a plan. A truck driver by trade, he’d now be a mendicant in New Mexico, a panhandler in Texas and a supplicant in southern Oklahoma.

He took the shortest route, but the longest way. He and his Garmin picked towns with big box stores or popular places to shop.

He might spend a few hours in the Target at Tucumcari or at the Walmart in McLean.

He’d open the doors and, with a minimum of preaching on his part, shoppers would empty their carts of buckets and bags of cleaning supplies.

There were diapers and toiletries, food and tools, with a little cash to boot.

Everywhere he stopped, people put something into that truck, glad to be a part of the gift.

He was pulling heavy by Amarillo and by Tulsa, the truck was full.

He delivered it to a high school lot that had served as everything from triage to soup kitchen.

It was crowded and he couldn’t tell the needy from the needed, but their reaction was all the same.

There were tears as they unloaded. When someone asked where it came from, he said, “Your friends from here to New Mexico.”

They talk about their God moments in Joplin, when grace seems to fall from a now-quiet sky. It’s no wonder why.