"COUNTING THE COST
"
Those of you who know me personally will know that I love my food. I hope
you do too. A while ago, I was in one of my favorite fast food stores, a DAIRY QUEEN, lining up for what was then one of my favorite food items, a BLIZZARD ice cream, filled with Smarties! The kind that you can turn upside down and the ice cream does not fall out of the carton. Mmmmmmm!
The very thought of it still makes my mouth water. Now only a fanatic would at an ice cream at 9.30 in the morning, but that was me, back then, so don't say a word!
There were two other people in front of me waiting to be served, a young girl about 12 years of age whom, I remember, had the most gorgeous black hair ... it must have had 200 tiny pleats in it, and she was clutching a $5 bill. Then there was a middle aged lady, followed by myself.
The young girl placed her order, and the assistant told her, "That will be $5.85" There was a silence and then the young girl changed her order to something else.
"That will be $5.45," came the reply. Again a pause, and this time the young girl said to the assistant, "If I leave the drink our how much will it be?" At this point in the proceedings my stomach was telling me that I had ice cream withdrawal symptoms coming on fast, and I was beginning to be a little bit ticked about this delay, but I must have been dreaming at the time, because I did not really realize what was happening, and before I could do anything, the middle aged lady in front of me put her hand in her pocket and silently placed a loonie in the young girl's hand. The young girl looked at her in total surprise, mumbled a few words of thanks, and then placed her $5 bill and the loonie on the counter to pay for her breakfast. The assistant smiled and said nothing, and served the middle aged lady, while the young girl's food was prepared.
The middle aged lady sat down at a table with her coffee. The neat thing which then happened was that the assistant placed the change out of the $6 in the young girls hand, and without a moments hesitation, she went over to the lady's table and placed it in front of her and thanked her again. We had all just witnessed a random act of loving kindness; an act which was spontaneous and caring and took no account of the cost; an act from which four people gained much.
How did I know it was the young girl's breakfast? Well, when I realized what had happened I struck up a conversation with her. She told me that she had been sent out by her mom with $5 so that she could eat some breakfast, as there was no food in the home.
The Global Village in which we now live allows us to see the plight of others less fortunate on a first hand and immediate basis. If we choose to "count the cost" and do nothing, we are turning our backs on the very Source that gave us our own lives, and the ability to be successful. The COST of contributing in these circumstances is but a tiny fraction of the resources we enjoy, but the BENEFITS we receive in return are huge.
God works like this and, if we listen, tells us, "Don't try to understand every event in your life ... simply live your life, trying to be aware of others who share your space. When My WORD comes to YOU, act on it, but act on it with LOVE as your motivation."
When you are placed in the right place at the right time, and this happens more often than you would believe, try not to count the cost; try to share the gifts you have been given without expecting anything in return.
Remember "you get more than you give when you give more than you get."
PS Those of us who make up the ARDS community know, all too well, what it is like to be "counting the cost" of our own or our loved ones misfortune. We have experienced what it is like when bad things happen to good people; when the wheels come off and we are left struggling to pick up the pieces.
It is for this very reason, among others, that our President Eileen, Paula and colleagues make this wonderful resource. The ARDS USA Foundation, available to all who are seeking help, information, solace and guidance. We exist to be "the middle aged lady" in a hurting and needy world, ready to place the appropriate resource in the hand of another in their moment of crisis.
Help us to continue to provide this much needed service by considering making a contribution to the cost of keeping The ARDS Foundation active and growing.
Remember "you get more than you give when you give more than you get.
SMILES, is the l o n g e s t word in the world. There's a "mile"
between the first and the last letters in the word.
Another smile does not make the giver poorer, but it does enrich the
receiver.
Why not wear a smile? ? It is just about the only thing you can wear that
isn't taxed!
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