A Motivational Story

Do Something Nice

Julie Alexander

Lord, let me be an instrument of thy Peace...where there is hatred, let me sow love...where there is injury, pardon, where there is doubt, faith...where there is despair, hope... where there is darkness, light... and where there is sadness, joy.

One of the best ways to guarantee a great day is to focus your attention on someone else. Several years ago the spirit of “Random Acts of Kindness” captured the imagination of the country. What a simple, yet powerful, concept – the idea of doing something nice for someone else with no expectations of anything in return.

One morning, I had the radio on listening for a weather forecast, the temperature, and the traffic report. As I listened, a caller telephone in on his cell phone to report something he had just witnessed. Several people were standing at a bus stop in the torrential downpour. Since the storm hadn’t been predicted, they had no protection from the rain and were getting soaked. One woman was holding her purse over her head, as if it would protect them.

The caller reported that he had watched as a car pulled up beside the people on the curb. The driver had jumped out of his car, handed them an umbrella, and then gotten back into the car, quickly moved into the flow of traffic, and was gone. The caller was touched by what he had seen and wanted to share the story of that simple, yet benevolent, gesture with those of us who were listening.

What a beautiful example of doing something for someone else. I recently read, “Share an umbrella with someone, and your heart will be filled with sunshine.” The giver of the umbrella that morning surely had a heart filled not only with sunshine, but also with love and compassion for his fellow man. Today and every day, be ready to share umbrellas with those who need them.

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