Stories of Kindness from Around the World

For quite a while now, I have been looking for someone very special to give my very last smile card to. Well, today, I had to go into town for an art exhibition that I had entered a piece in. Since it is winter here, I have not ventured out of the house very much at all. So today I thought i would treat myself to lunch-- something I haven't done in ages! I walked around for a long time downtown, looking at all the glowing options like a child in a toy shop. It was really hard to decide what to eat!

Finally, I settled on some Thai food, from a buffet-type place. When I sat down, I noticed a man walk by and sit down a few tables away from me. He had a small dish of yogurt, which he ate quickly, scraping the sides of the dish to get it all out. There was not much of a trace of it when he was done. As my eyes met his, I saw a sad, lonely man with dirty, disheveled hair. He had dirt on his coat and pants, obviously from sleeping outside. I was pretty sure he was homeless.

I looked at my food and felt terrible that I had this full plate of food and he had nothing, not even a hint of a smile on his face. I went over and asked him if he was hungry. When he heard me, he turned and nodded to me. Then he gestured that he had no money.

He saw me reach into my pocket and I said follow me. In a flash, he was behind me. I paid for another plate of food that allowed him to pick anything he wanted. His plate was piled high when he sat back down at his table. I loved sitting there and watching him every so often, while he carefully enjoyed his mung beans and other chosen ingredients.

When I was finished eating, I remembered the smile card that I had been saving. On my way out, I gladly passed it to him. After all, no one was more deserving of it today but him. He did not look up when I said have a good day and placed the card in front of him, but he clearly said "Thank you."

As I walked away, I hoped with all of my heart that my last smile card had brought a smile to this worn down man's face. I hoped that, one day in his future, he would also have the opportunity to pass the card on. I guess I was meant to meet this hungry soul today and I felt blessed to have been able to help him in some small way.

After lunch, I went on to see how my art work had done in the exhibition and found out that I had won second place. I will never forget this day!