Do Good.💎

‘The assistant announced the total and the Mum’s face fell, ‘I guess I’ll have to put something back but these are for her birthday party’, glancing regretfully at her child. In a moment, before the Mum could object, the second customer leaned forward and inserted her credit card into the reader, paying for the purchase. It wasn’t a large expense and she had extra funds that month. But to that Mum it was everything. A gesture of pure love poured out in her moment of need’. (Our Daily Bread/Elisa Morgan).

Tears filled my eyes as I read the above this morning, such generosity always touches my deepest spirit. Then, out of the blue, a beautiful memory danced into my heart, one I hadn’t recalled in many a long day. 

Thirty years ago, Guineys store in Dublin, elderly lady in the queue just in front of me realising to her shame that she did not have enough money to pay for her wares. ‘I will leave it’, I heard her say and with that I approached the cashier handing over the pittance outstanding. Afterwards, dear lady, highly embarrassed, extremely grateful, insisted I accept all the loose change she found at the bottom of her handbag. Today I know in my deepest heart that lady prayed for me always, I am sure of it🙏🏻

My dear Mom oftentimes would say: ‘ Be good, be kind, be cheerful. Do good to others and others will do good to you’. My parents didn’t just impart those sage gems to us, they lived them, every step of the way. An elderly lady told me recently that her husband spoke of my parents one time: ‘Ta uaisleacht eigin ag baint leo. (They possess a certain nobility).

I have been at the receiving end of great generosity in my life. I have had the privilege of being the generous one too. Kindness like snow beautifies everything it covers. God owns all, we are simply His stewards. Freely freely we have received, freely freely we give. 

We probably will not get to choose when or how we are going to die but we all get to decide how we are going to live and that is the legacy we leave to those who follow us.

‘And let us not grow weary of doing good for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up’. (Galatians 6:9)

‘Have you had a kindness shown? Pass it on; ‘Twas not given for Thee alone, Pass it on; Let it travel down the years. Let it wipe another’s tears, till in Heaven the deed appears - Pass it on.’

(Henry Burton)