His name is Larry, but I like to call him the mad philanthropist. Every time he comes into the store, he heads to my department and clears the shelves—all in the name of charity. Last winter, I rang up his purchase of two hundred towels. This year, apparently, he’s all about comforters. When he came into the store tonight, he made a dozen trips from the bedding section to the wrap desk, dropping off armfuls of comforters. At first, when I saw the mess he was making, I was a little annoyed. The guy was chuckling and laughing with exasperated wheezes, and I figured he was just making a mess to screw with us. But then I took a closer look at him, and I recognized the goofy black-rimmed glasses, the graying mustache, and his wild and infectious grin. He ended up buying about twenty-five comforters, which added up to over $600. When he saw the total, he asked me, “you think the shelter will appreciate this?” The cleverest thing I could think to say at the time was, “maybe.” He just laughed with giddy approval.

Of course, how could the homeless shelter not appreciate his donation? For that matter, how could anybody not appreciate what Larry was doing? The world seems a little less desolate and a little less cold when you’re reminded of how large a person’s heart can really be. Larry, I salute you.