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Speaker
of the House of Representatives Sam Rayburn, who served during the mid-20th
century, was known for his compassion. One day a friend of his lost a daughter,
and, as a result, Mr. Rayburn hurried over to his friend's house.
When
his friend opened the door, he was surprised to see Sam Rayburn standing there.
Mr. Rayburn spoke.
"My
dear friend. I am so sorry to learn of Marjorie's passing. What can I do for
you?"
To
which his grieving friend replied,
"Well,
we are in the process of making all the arrangements now"
Not
to be deterred, Sam responded,
"But
have you had your coffee?"
His
friend admitted he had not taken time for breakfast, much less coffee.
Now
Mr. Rayburn did the least likely thing a national political figure such as he
might be expected to do. He squeezed past his friend, and went directly to the
kitchen, and began making coffee!
His
friend was incredulous, and joining Sam in the kitchen, he exclaimed,
"Sam,
don't you have an important meeting scheduled today with the President?"
Mr.
Rayburn turned towards him and with a sad smile on his face replied,
"Yes,
I did have a meeting with the President today, but I contacted him, and told
him that I could not come because 'I have a friend who needs me.'"
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