It’s easy to make a buck. It’s a lot tougher to make a difference.
~Tom Brokaw
We were eating dinner in a restaurant shortly before Christmas. It was packed but we had finally been seated in a booth by the bar. I was watching a man with a backpack who was sitting on a bar stool and sipping a glass of water.
It was cold and raining outside and this man’s clothes did not look right for the weather. I kept watching to see if he would order any food, but he just kept sipping that free glass of water.
When the waitress brought our food I couldn’t eat. It didn’t seem fair that I was going to have a hot meal and this man was only going to have a glass of water. I walked up to the bar and spoke to him. He confessed that he didn’t have the money to buy anything to eat. He had just come in to warm up and get out of the rain for a while. In fact, he hadn’t had anything to eat that day.
I called the bartender over and arranged for the man to order a complete dinner. He was reluctant to ask for what he really wanted, but I got him to order a steak and a brownie with ice cream for dessert. When I saw him glance at the beers, I ordered him a beer, too.
The gentleman’s eyes got misty, which almost made me cry. He asked if he could come by and rake our yard or do something to pay me back, but I told him to help someone else when he could. Then we would be even. He gave me a hug and I left him to his dinner.
I am in no way rich, but that day I felt like I was the richest person on earth. I’ve never forgotten that feeling and I’ve made it a habit to continue doing whatever little things I can for other people.
~Donna Faulkner Schulte
