Adventures in Parenting

Dr. James Dobson tells the story of going to the market, and standing in the checkout line behind an elderly woman. She was obviously not all there, and was fumbling around her purse for money to pay for the groceries. It was obvious to the checker and to Dr. Dobson that she had much more groceries than money to pay for it.

Dr. Dobson leans over to the checker and whispered, “Just go ahead and total her bill, then accept whatever money she has and put the rest on my bill.” Eight dollars was the difference the lady couldn’t pay, and Dr. Dobson made up that amount to the checker.

The old woman never knew that a stranger helped her. She went off happily with her groceries, amazed at how lucky it was that she had the exact amount of money to pay for it.

As Dr. Dobson turned to leave the store, he noticed the checker crying. Why?

In all her 20 years working as a checker, she had never seen anyone show kindness like that.

Eight dollars was no big deal – an insignificant eight dollars – yet such simple kindness is so unusual today that it shocks us when it happens.

I blogged about Kiva yesterday. Pelf‘s comment made a good point and made me think of that story told by Dr. Dobson. Loaning $25, $50 is not going to break our bank, but it means the world to someone in need. So why not?

A simple act of kindness goes a long way.

Let’s pass that on to our kids.