Acacia B. had stopped to get gas at the Exxon station on the corner of Villa Maria and Harvey Mitchell in College Station, Texas. After filling up and paying inside, she noticed a young lady trying to get her attention. She kept pointing to a piece of paper tucked under the windshield wiper. As Acacia went to retrieve the paper, the lady got in her car and drove off. As she unfolded the paper, she read, “God put it on my heart to give you this! Have a good day!” Folded into the note was a $1oo bill. What the giver didn’t know was that Acacia had been fighting Stage 4 cancer for a year and had been without work for five months, due to the treatments. She relayed the story to Rusty Surrette, in hopes that the lady would see his post and know how appreciative she was of the random act of kindness. She wrote, “To the young lady who left me the letter and gift: I wish I could tell you in person how much your kindness touched my heart. Your gift lifted a weight off my shoulders and eased a stress that I have been carrying for quite some time. Please know that I am beyond grateful. Your generosity came at a time when I needed it more than you could ever know. From the bottom of my heart, thank you. You made a difference in my life today, and I will never forget it.”
While a college student, Allie Reimold signed up to be a bone marrow donor. A few years later, a call came that she was a match for a man with leukemia. Allie went through the process to donate her bone marrow to David Whitson, a United Airlines pilot. The transplant for successful and Whitson was able to resume his career as a pilot. One day, David noticed that Allie was flying out of Houston. He asked permission from the crew of her flight to make an announcement. Whitson picked up the microphone and told the passengers, “Someone on board saved my life. My body now produces blood from her donated cells, even changing my blood type. She is a true hero. One simple decision gave a stranger the greatest gift of all: more years to live.” Whitson then went to Allie’s seat and gave her a hug. The passengers burst into applause.
May we, too, be willing to spur others on to do good works and in turn be spurred on by observing what others do.
And let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds,
Hebrews 10:24
