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Paying it forward - part 2

So today at StreetLife I was chatting with one of our regulars.  He’s a sweet older gentleman, who has the heart of many of the volunteers at StreetLife.  When he arrived he was thrilled when one of the hot meal volunteers showed up and gave him a name tag of his own.  He always sits by the book table, has trouble standing and walking for too long so he welcomes the chair.  It’s always there for him because he is expected every week, and we look forward to seeing him.  He has kind of taken pride in helping out at that location.  You see he shows up every week not to be served, but to help serve.  We show to help serve but in reality are being served by him and his compassion and love for people.  He may not have much to offer as far as physical items, but he certainly has so much love and respect and conversation to share.  In fact he spent his last dollar getting to the parking lot today, because its so important to him that he is part of this community.

While we were chatting I mentioned that it was “Pay it Forward Day” and he asked me, “what is pay it forward day dear?”  So, I explained the concept to him.  His response was, “well I have to make sure I do that then.”  So here is a man, without two penny’s to rub together, who is planning on paying it forward.  I smiled at him, and explained that he already did that, every week that he is here and I am sure every day he is with other people, by his smile, his thoughtfulness and kind demeanor.  Paying it forward isn’t necessarily about giving people “things” its much more than that, but really quite a simple thing to do.

As always, I go to serve and to help lift others up, but in reality, I think I walk away feeling lifted up also.  That's what Pay it Forward is.

Lift someone up today.

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