What A Pan Of Lasagna Can Do

Something interesting happened to me yesterday that has really made me sit back and think about what this crazy world has come to. I am not a paranoid person by any means, but the way the world is today, you can't be too careful. We have to be on guard at all times especially after 9/11 and other terrorist events that have befallen our country. We all know about the increased security at airports and federal buildings and we have to be aware of what we send and receive in the mail. Random acts of kindness are few and far between and those that do come our way are often questioned and discarded because you just don't know who or what might be behind it.

I got home from work yesterday and sitting on my front porch, was a large disposable aluminum pan of homemade lasagna. It was covered and obviously just baked because it was still warm. It smelled delicious. I looked around, not really sure what to think or where it had come from when I spotted a note stuck to the side of the pan. Written on a thin piece of cardboard that was torn from a box, was the following. "God Bless from a neighbor down the street Enjoy!" The handwriting doesn't look familiar to me and I really don't know many of my neighbors. My immediate thought was, 'ok where are the cameras', figuring someone from Candid Camera was going to come around the corner. I think I stood there on the porch for a couple of minutes, dumbfounded, my mind racing. Then I got a warm and fuzzy feeling, kind of like an 'Awwwwwww', thinking wow there are nice people out there. I came inside and set the lasagna down on the counter and picked up the phone, then put it down because I couldn't think of a soul who would do something like this. This definitely is a first for me. I've had a neighbor share apples from her trees, another drop off jackets for my kids that their kids had outgrown, but I always knew where these gifts came from.
I continued to contemplate where this lasagna could have come from and then I started thinking it has to be a sick joke, that perhaps it was tainted. Now I don't think I have any enemies, but hey you never know. I am thinking whoever did this, mustn't really know me, because they would know 6 pounds of lasagna would be way too much for 1 person. If a kind deed was their goal, wouldn't an entire family benefit more from this than someone who lives alone? And considering the state of the world today, why would anyone do something like this anonymously knowing that without knowing where it came from, it could possibly be thrown in the trash? All the time, money and good intentions... down the drain.
I realize that the holidays are fast approaching and these acts of kindness are the Christian thing to do. Back in the day, no one questioned it and it was most appreciated and often reciprocated. I would like to think that someone has a full heart today because they did something nice for a stranger. I would like to be able to say, "Thank you, how did you know lasagna was one of my favorite dishes? and by the way, it was delicious." I would like to be able to do something nice for someone else without causing that person to wonder what I am up to or what I want in return. Isn't it sad that I have a huge pan of lasagna in my refrigerator and I am afraid to eat it or share it because it might make someone very ill? Isn't it sad, that we have to give a wonderful gesture of faith and goodwill such serious thought and consideration? It really does make me angry that this is what the world has come to. Am I the only one who feels this way? It is all so frustrating sometimes, isn't it?