On the way to take her 13-year-old daughter, Madison, to a doctor’s appointment, Rhonda Munoz drove past a huge mess on the side of the road. A box had fallen off a truck, and paper was scattered along the side of the road. On their way home, the litter was still there. Madison took a video and sent it to a friend. Within 45 minutes the girls gathered up trash bags and asked to be taken to the site so they could help clean up the trash. Even though it was extremely hot, Rhonda took the girls and the three of them began to collect the litter. A UPS man stopped and thanked them for helping. About halfway through, they took a break and went to purchase more garbage bags. Upon their return, a lady, in her business attire, was also helping pick up paper. She mentioned she had seen them working and wanted to help as well. As the girls and Rhonda completed the cleanup task, and were walking back to her car, a man drove up and stopped his car. An administrator at the healthcare center across the street, he had noticed their effort and wanted to thank them and give them money for a treat. Even though they refused, he insisted they take the money. Thinking it would be $10 for ice cream, they discovered they had been given a 100-dollar bill. The girls decided they wanted to save and use the money to do more deeds to help people over the summer. On the way home, Madison thanked her mom for taking them. She replied, “I feel so good. I really needed that.” Rhonda reflected, “The lessons learned today…listen to your kids. They listened to you when you talked to them about doing the right thing. They want to help others and do good things. None of what I planned for the afternoon got done…and that is ok. All of the laundry, dishes, and other chores were there when we finished. I was in the billion-degree Texas heat with these great kids helping them do exactly what we have tried to teach them.”
Recently, a man was in line at the Public Library waiting his turn to check out books. He heard the clerk tell a little girl that she couldn’t check out a book because she had a $0.29 fine. Instantly, the teenage boy standing behind her reached in his pocket, pulled out his change, and paid the girl’s debt. The man posted, “And then I felt better about the world.”
Adele Renee recently had two encounters with elderly people needing assistance. While shopping for something to give relief for his wife’s pain, a man asked the store assistant for help. After responding he could find the product on “Aisle 6,” the lady offered no other aid. Struggling to walk and going in the wrong direction, Adele stepped in and helped the man locate the product. In another happening, a man had obviously had an accident because he had scrapes and dried blood on his leg. As he walked by people in the café, on the way to his car, there were plenty of stares, but no offers of assistance. Adele followed the man to his car to check on him. He told her about his fall, being hot, and not knowing how to turn on the air conditioner in his car. Adele reached in the car, turned on the air conditioner, and then waited to make sure it was working. The man was able to drive away with one less worry for the day.
Love expressed, no matter how big or small, can make a lasting impact on the life of the recipient and others.
[Jesus said] “A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.”
John 13:34-35
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