Stories of Kindness from Around the World

I've never posted a story before but, upon recently graduating from UC Berkeley, with as much financial support as my family could muster, I feel the need to thank my sister Mollie.  

Mollie started out at UC Santa Cruz two years ago, when I was already a junior at Berkeley, at a time when my family could no longer afford to support two college students.  

We both started working to pay for our housing while our parents were still paying our tuition. Then we took out loans for tuition too.  

After one year of college, my sister moved home to San Francisco and took classes at SF City College instead and started working full time. She did this by choice and quietly let our whole family think that she wanted to move home anyway, that it was for her as much as for my parents' financial situation.  

Over the past year, I continued to receive any support that my parents could give.  

At my graduation two weeks ago I commented on the fact that my sister was waitressing full time and asked if she was going to use the money to travel. She said, "No, I'm saving to go back to UC Santa Cruz."  

This probably sounds crazy, but I had completely forgotten that she was saving up for her own college education, and making a sacrifice so that I could finish up the last year of mine.  

I forgot because she never complained and actually has made a less than perfect situation enjoyable for herself. Mollie has no idea how much I respect her for this quiet generosity, and for the ability to transform a negative experience into a positive one.  

So ... I guess I'll tell her!