A Three-Year-Old's "Hospitable" Gift
My little boy, Matthew, had recently lost his beloved grandmother. Matthew was just three years old and since her loss, he would often tug my hand in tears, longing for his grandmother to come back to the world. At his tender age of three, he had an idea. He asked me if we could do something in honor of grandma so the world could remember her. When I welcomed his lovely suggestion, he said we could create something special for the children at the "hospitable", since grandma had always wanted to volunteer there. Although her heart was so ready to give, her physical capacity was limited and she could not drive or make the trek over to the hospital, and therefore had spent the majority of her days doling out her compassion to her family and friends. So, we decided to fulfill Grandma's last life wish. Matthew and I teamed up and presented our kindness proposal to his pre-school classmates. We energized them with the prospect of going shopping and purchasing small gifts (chocolates, ... Read Full Story >>
- Posted by jessi
- Oct 28, 2008
- Comments (8)
- Share Story
This 'Thank you' Hit Home
As I drank my coffee and looked through the paper, I saw a letter to the editor thanking our community for all of its help. I began reading the letter, and realized that it was from a friend of mine who has gone through difficult year of illness. Adrienne wrote this beautiful thank you letter to me, my friends and our little town. As I read it, I cried, because she so eloquently and genuinely expressed my feelings of gratitude. She said that she was overwhelmed by the selfless charity to her family. People she didn't even know, brought her meals, sent her cards, encouraged her with phone calls, offered to pick up groceries and run errands. She said that she was so proud to live in a community that took care of her family and showed true love and compassion, during their difficult times. She realized that her little town, is her family. She also said that she now understands that community service isn't only providing 2 or 3 hours of month in a club, but also knowing and responding to the needs of those around us. Thank you Adrienne, for putting into words what has been in my heart.
Love, Jessi
- Posted by jessi
- Dec 7, 2008
- Comments (7)
- Share Story
A Homeless Man's Honesty Changed My Friend
Carlton is a middle aged black homeless man with schizophrenia, who lives in our beautiful, suburban community. Many of my friends and I have known him for over 20 years. He refuses medication and will not live with his family, so he sleeps in the woods and is fed by the local community and business people. We bring him food and try to help him anyway that we can. He rides his bike throughout our little town and is able to survive in a way that I don't think I would be able to.
One day a friend of mine was on his way to the bank. He stopped at the Quick Check to purchase coffee and accidentaly dropped three hundred dollars on the ground. As he approached his car, Carlton said, "Excuse me, you dropped this," and handed him the three hundred dollars. My friend was overwhelmed by his honesty . He wasn't sure he would have done the same thing if he was in Carlton's position. Carlton changed my friend.
- Posted by jessi
- May 20, 2008
- Comments (7)
- Share Story
