Approximately 22 years ago, I was living in Sioux Falls South Dakota. My husband and I had a band and had been in the area for while, enough to be recognized by fans in the area when we were around town. With lifes ups and downs we found ourselves traveling at a plummeting speed on a down hill run. My husband and I along with our 2 year old son were in a situation where we didn't know where I next meal would come from or if we would have a roof over our heads the next day. I was raised in a family of six and my father was a truck driver. I thought of us as middle class. We always had food to eat and lived in the same home until we were all grown. I wasn't use to this kind of hard times. My son developed a respitory illness and was placed in the hosp. They wanted to give him breathing treatments and keep an eye on him for several days. I was sad that he wasn't feeling well but I also found some comfort in the fact that he was getting three meals a day. When it came time for him to be released I was concerned about him returning to a home with empty cuburds. I found myself at a food bank. I was one of those people that others pass by and say "Look, a Cadillac parked at a food bank!" The woman inside asked me a few questions about the size of our family and the age of our child and began filling a cardboard box ,using a list that told what we would be alloted. As I watched her place a box of cereal, some canned vegetables, canned milk, macaroni, and rice in the box my grateful heart became humble as my eyes brimmed with tears. I gathered up the box in my arms and started toward the door when a woman walked in with a small child in tow. They looked as if they lived out on the street. They had dirty hair, clothes and faces. The woman was thin and her clothes hung on her small body, the child seemed to be following along with her aimlessly. She looked me in the face as I passed her, when she saw my tears an expression of true compassion covered her entire being and she said in a gentle voice. "Don't worry, everything will get better" Here was a woman who was going through a very difficult time, who may have thought there was little she could do for anyone. But in that brief moment, in just a few seconds in time she gave to me compassion, sincere concern, and love that we are all called to display. I will carry that moment with me always. Never disregard the power of a small kindness you show to anyone. You could be giving a lifetime heart gift to someone, and that, my beloveds, is what we are all here for.
