"Sometimes when we are generous in small, barely detectable ways it can
change someone else's life forever."– Margaret Cho
I have been feeling nostalgic and reflecting a lot about my life lately. I guess in a way I've been flooded with memories since my stepmother's death and since I've been making positive & lasting changes in my life. I've been feeling very fortunate that I've received so much support through the years.
Yesterday one of my good friends was rushed to the hospital. She had had a mini-stroke. It was amazing how I snapped to attention and was there for her. I have also made myself available to her family if they need my support. Today I'm feeling very fortunate that I have the opportunity to give back to those loved ones in my life who have supported me.
Specific to this quote, I remember once, when I was working as a promotion assistant for a major record label, I had set up a special event for one of the Country music acts on the label. They were playing at a county fair so my boss invited various radio & reporting personnel to the concert. I rented a bus for all of us to make the trip up (yes, it was a wild party bus!) and purchased the admission & ride tickets for everyone in advance. Well, of course, not everyone who was invited came so I had a bunch of tickets leftover once we arrived.
I noticed that there were some kids by the fair entrance -- looking at the fair from outside the gate, and looking too poor to afford to get in. I went up the one of the oldest looking girls (she looked about 9 or 10) and asked her if she wanted the tickets for her and her friends. She was shocked, but I told her that I had extras and I wanted to put them to good use. I practically had to push the tickets (for admissions & rides) into her hands. Before I turned to walk away, I asked her to have fun with her friends.
I think of that girl from time to time... she was mixed, like me, and was wearing handed-down clothes with no shoes. She could have most likely to ended up as some kind of statistic for juvenile delinquency, but my hope has been that she felt she deserved more in life after I gave her the tickets. I've prayed for that little girl to grow up and create a good life for herself.
