Stories of Kindness from Around the World

Last night’s mass transformed my life.  Since we arrived late for the homily, we positioned ourselves near the door. 

It was during the offertory, though, that I saw a sight that changed my life in an instant -- a young boy ran up, took out a coin from his pocket and offered it to the collector.  I didn’t see the denomination, if it was a peso or five-peso, but it wasn't the amount that caught my attention. It was his way of giving gratitude to God for all the immeasurable blessings that he might've received.  And it was from a kid who was humbly selling Sampaguita flowers! 

He who has little knows how to give back.  Watching his selfless act, I was totally speechless.

Minutes passed and I was still trying to process what I had just witnessed.  Before me was a humbling experience -- a boy of young age, who lives a simple life  of modest means, but knows how to thank God.  He gave came from the little profit he made from selling Sampaguita, and I knew in my heart that this child has a happy disposition in his life and he reaps the rewards of a grateful heart.

Out of the blue, I turned to my husband and shared my overwhelming reaction.   And incidentally, he was thinking the same thing.  "Why don't we offer to buy all the remaining Sampaguitas from the boy?" he added.  Great idea, since I was thinking of buying some flowers from him too!

“"Boy, how much would it cost if I buy all of your Sampaguitas?”" I asked him as his eyes glowed in counting his flowers.  Each Sampaguita cost PhP 5.00 and the eleven in his hand totaled to PhP 55.00!  (Less than a dollar.)

“Ok, I’ll buy all of your flowers", I told the boy as my hubby added an additional five-peso coin in the boy's hand.

The mass ended. I saw the young boy (I later learned he was eight years old, studying Grade 1) walk away from us with gleam in his eyes.  In a distance, I heard him point to us and say to his mother (also selling flowers), "That couple … they bought all my flowers."

On my way home, he was still in my mind. I didn't hear the preaching of the priest but God showed me the most important actual homily of my life … the young boy and his grateful heart.