When my son mark was in the third grade,he set aside all his allowance for over two months to buy holiday presents for those he loved. He had saved twenty dollars. The third Satuiday in December Mark announced that he had made a list and had his money in his pocket.
I drove him to a local drug store, the modern version of what we used to call the“Five and Dime”.Mark packed up a hand basket and went off on his own while I waited patiently at the front of the store .It took Mark over 45 minutes to pick out his presents .
The smile on his face as he approached the checkout counter was truy joyful .The clerk rang up his purchases as I politely looked the other way .Mark kept within his budget and reached into his pockrt for his money .It was not there .There was a hole in his pocket ,but no money .Mark stood in the middle of the store holding his basket , tears rolling down his cheeks .Then an amazing thing happened .A customer in the store came up to Mark .She knelt down to his level and took him in her arms and said ,“You would do me the greatest favor if you let me replace your money . It would be the most wonderful present you could ever give me .Ionly ask that one day you pass it on .One day ,when you grow up ,I would like you to find someone you can help . When you do help other persons , I know you will feel as good about it as I do now . ”Mark took the money , tried to dry his tears and ran to the checkout coynter as fast as he could go . Ithink we all enjoyed our gifts that year almost as much as Mark enjoyed giving them to us .
I would like to say “ thank you ”to that incredible woman . I would like to tell hr that four years later Mark went house to house collecting blankets and coats for the people in the Oakland fire and he thought of her .