My husband shared this remarkable story with me, and I wanted to pass it on to all of you. One of his employees, we’ll call her Sally, was shopping in a local mall. A young child came up to her begging for money for food. It was clear that this child was hungry, and Sally asked to speak to the child’s mother. It turns out, the mother spoke broken English, had three children, no job, was abandoned by her husband, had an exorbitant rent she could not afford, for a small apartment with no heat or hot water. Rather than questioning the story or walking away, Sally decided she was going to help this woman and her family. When she returned to work at my husband’s office, she let everyone know that she was collecting blankets and towels for this family. Many people responded. I heard about this woman’s plight as my husband was going through our linen closet, putting aside items for her.
Sally was not willing to stop there. She recognized that in addition to blankets and towels, this woman needed a job to become self-sufficient and to help restore a sense of dignity and competence. Sally realized the woman’s options were limited, but she went back to the mall and approached a woman who was working on a cleaning crew. She asked the woman if there were jobs available, and the end result was she was able to secure a job for her friend. I know you would agree that these compassionate acts of kindness saved and changed the lives of this family of four. It would have been so much easier to simply walk away, or at best, give the child a few dollars. Sally’s willingness to become truly and fully involved made all the difference. In the wake of tragic acts of violence occurring in malls throughout the world, it is heartwarming to know that in one local mall, someone performed a small miracle and, in the process, restored our faith in the goodness of mankind. Make it a personal goal to become truly and fully involved, in any way that resonates for you, and know that in doing so you are helping to change the world for the better.
Have you ever gone out of your way to help someone else? Please share your experience in a comment, and inspire others to do the same!
a few years ago I decided that in addition to wanting to cure all the misery in the world that I would intentionally focus on that which I encountered in my daily comings and goings, sort of the equivalent of buying and eating local.
I called the city government to pick up the dead animal in the alley behind my house and to fix the pothole in the street in front. I began taking out trash for my disabled neighbor. I spoke with another neighbor about special ed possibilities for her son. I realized there are plenty of issues surrounding us all the time where we might involve ourselves. that’s why I question the ultimate message behind “Mitzvah Day” where people get together to package presents, deliver food, etc. this may be helpful but seems to occlude the point that there are people in need all the time and almost everywhere.
Joyce you have given so many beautiful examples of the simple, yet powerful and meaningful ways in which we can reach out and make a difference on a daily basis. Bless you for all that you do and may others learn from your generosity!