A Tale of Kindness and Thanksgiving:
A Rich Man and a Poor Man
There once
was a very rich man. He was so rich, he could have owned many cars, but instead
he chose to drive a Ford. He was so rich, he could have owned many computers,
but instead he chose an Apple Macintosh. He was so rich, he could have owned
many homes---even some in Beverly Hills---but instead he chose to live in East
LA.
Because this
man was rich, many people in his neighborhood knew him. And also because the
man was rich, many people from outside of his neighborhood knew him too. Often,
his doorbell would ring, and there on his threshold would stand someone who had
come to ask for a donation.
Sometimes
when the bell rang, it was a neighbor who had fallen into misfortune. The man
would smile, embrace his neighbor, and place a generous sum into their hand.
Sometimes
when the bell rang, it was a charity representing the starving children of
Tijuana. The man would again smile, embrace the charity worker, and write a
generous check.
Sometimes
when the bell rang, it was a Jehovah's Witness. Were he like many of us, the
man's first instinct would have been to promptly kick them in the butt and
shove them back out onto the street. But instead, he once more smiled and
embraced the Jehovah's Witness as any other guest upon his threshold.
One evening,
when his doorbell was particularly quiet, this man decided to take a stroll. He
headed off, idling along wherever the road wound; amongst the quaint homes of
his neighborhood, past the threadbare trees lining the park, along walls
painted with an array of colorful graffiti tags (remember, this was East LA).
Every once
in a while, a car passed, thumping out the latest rage in rap hit, and he soon
found himself whistling one of these catchy tunes to himself.
Lost in the
tune, he came suddenly upon a homeless bum lying in the midst of the sidewalk.
The bum wore a tattered sweater and ripped pants. He had shoes, but they didn't
even match. And oh! The smell! I can't even describe that to you here because
it would ruin your Thanksgiving dinner.
Well, this
unfortunate soul lying on the street saw the man and knew him. Certainly,
the bum said to himself. This is the rich man who lives on the lane. Surely
he can help me, for he has money at his disposal. But instead of reaching
out his hand, the bum was overcome by a sudden bout of shame and hid his face.
The man
stood over this tattered figure. He reached down and touched the bum's cheek,
but the bum shrank away from him even further. The man's eyes clouded slightly
and he cracked a weak smile. Forgetting the tune he once whistled, the man
slowly turned and walked back to his home.
Upon hearing
the man retreat beyond the corner, the bum opened his eyes and sat up. There at
his feet lay a crisp $100.00 dollar bill.
The bum grabbed
the money and made a beeline for the nearest 7/11. Like all bums, this one's
first thought was to go blow the money on vodka. What a bum!
But, before
he entered the store, he remembered the compassion of the man's touch. This
inspired him, and the bum decided then and there to turn his life around. The
bum promptly bummed two dimes off an old lady (pay phones don't take hundreds).
"Well." the lady replied. "You ain't gonna spend this on
alcohol?" The bum shook his head and stuck the money into the slot of the
nearest telephone.
His broker
answered and the bum said, "Hundred dollars. Invest it all in that company
with the nerdy looking CEO. Microsoft!"
Since this
was, as it turns out, the late-1980s, it took only a short while before the
stock skyrocketed. Yes, good can come of evil after all---especially when
you're working the stock market---and the bum found himself very well off
indeed.
Back in East
LA the years passed slowly. The generous man kept to life much as
usual---taking evening strolls, whistling rap tunes, answering his door.
One day in
particular, his doorbell rang, and there stood a finely dressed gentleman in a
three piece suit. Uh oh, the man thought. Jehovah's Witness. But
before he could do anything, his guest spoke.
"You're
the rich man, aren't you?" his guest asked.
"What
can I do for you?" the man responded automatically, so accustomed to being
asked for things.
"It is
not what you can do for me," answered his guest. "But what you have
already done."
"What
have I done for you?" the man asked in surprise.
"You've
given me a second chance at life. Why, with your generous gift, I was able to
invest the money and pull myself out of my poverty. I no longer wallow in the
grime and gutters, but I walk along crowded sidewalks with my head held high. I
have you to thank for that."
Suddenly,
the man recognized his guest. It was the old bum who'd been lying in the
street. The man replied, "What I gave you, you did not ask for. I gave it
simply because I saw you there and loved you. I would have given it to anyone
in your position."
"All
the more reason to come and thank you," his guest said.
"But I
am rich," replied the man. "I have many gifts to give. I don't expect
anything in return."
"Good,"
his guest said with a nod. "Because I don't have anything to offer in
return---whatever I have, you gave to me. All I wanted to do was come and thank
you."
The man
stared as his guest reached out and took him into an embrace. It was the same
gesture the man had so often offered to those at his door, yet this was the
first time someone had offered it back.
Tears filled
the man's eyes as his guest, a lowly bum off the street, held him in the most
satisfying embrace he had ever received.
What have
you done for other people? What about the people you don’t know? Strangers in
need? You never know when you can affect someone’s life in a positive way. Some
of us have probably already done something nice to others and the recipients
have grown because of it but we may never know...but that should never stop
us…to be thoughtful and kind to others. Who will you go out of your way to help
today?
----------------------------------------
Author: M. Stanley Bubien
Photo Credit: ayshfi.wordpress.com
Source: StoryBytes.com
----------------------------------------
Note: In addition to writing my own blogs or
stories, I also like to search for stories and other inspiring, motivating, or
encouraging material from around the Web and other people. If you see an
article, story, or photo that you have written or created and want it removed,
please feel free to let me know. I try to give credit to the people and/or web
sites where I find my information when I can.
