David Esterly describes an act of kindness in which the unspoken is heard in the spoken. His wife lost a close relative. A few days later a lifelong friend and neighbour pitched up with a box of garden-grown vegetables. He didn’t mention the loss, only what was in the box.

‘With his head down, he went around to the back of his truck and retrieved a cardboard box.  “Here are some beets.  I dug them this morning.  They’re pretty good this year.  Some carrots.  Some little zucchinis, too.  They made it through the frost last month just fine.  Nini picked some wild flowers.” He handed over the box, climbed back in the truck, and drove away. Not another word. I seemed to be watching a scene from The Winter’s Tale.’ 

Enjoy also our quote-rich celebration of David Esterly’s magnificent book, The Lost Carving.

Source: David Esterly, The Lost Carving: A Journey to the heart of making (New York: Penguin, 2013), p. 110

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