Monday, March 16, 2009

A Pay It Forward Moment

On the way home from my doctor's appointment this afternoon I observed a very simple but profound moment; a pay it forward moment, if you will.

Slowly making their way down the sidewalk was an elderly, unkempt, African American couple pushing a shopping cart loaded down with the bottle and cans they had gathered along their journey. Suddenly, a brand new car pulled up beside them and a Caucasian teenager with spiked green hair got out. He went around to the back of the car and opened the trunk.

Reaching inside the car he pulled out several large trash bags filled with bottle and cans, took them over to the couple and tied them securely to the cart. They exchanged a few words but the smiles on the faces of the couple remained after the young man had driven away.

Watching the interaction of these people who will probably never see one another again really touched my heart. The young gifter had gone out of his way to save throw away items and then made an effort to find someone whose lives demanded the collection of these precious items for their livelihood.

A quick moment. A simple act. Makes me want to go do something good!

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