A Good Fedora Hat

Twenty or so years ago, I met a man who wore a dark fedora hat to church. During the depression years when that hat was fashionable, he had been taken in as an orphan by the Hershey Orphanage in Pennsylvania. After the Hersheys’ passing the Hershey Company had its slippery turns in the road like other major corporations. There were missteps and accusations. Hopefully, the ship is righted.

My friend remembered the kind care of the Hersheys. He wore its effect in his generous smile and assured demeanor. In a way, he glowed like a small Christmas tree.

His conversation had a restorative effect. He knew what good is. It had enlivened his outlook, his being. I felt it, too.

Ecclesiastes speaks mostly about human experiences “under the sun.” In it, Solomon, a very wealthy king in Israel, bemoans his human lack of ultimate power. Maybe in his befuddled state, he could not sense the good that people can affect upon each other. What happens under the sun brings down joy from above the sun.

The Hersheys’ benevolence made friendships that propelled their charges to heights beyond a lonely earth. Even in the later life of my friend, the magnitude of others’ generosity showed under the sun. His dated fedora spoke of an experience that was not dated. The alleged or real sins of the Hershey Company did not take away the founders’ gift. Good done under the sun keeps on giving.