LET me share a forwarded e-mail story written by an "unknown author." Please read on spies.
One day a woman was walking down the street when she spied a beggar sitting in the corner. It was very cold that day and the man had his tattered coat, more like an old suit coat rather than a warm coat, wrapped around him. She stopped and looked down. "Sir?" she asked. "Are you all right"?
* * *
The man slowly looked up. This was a woman clearly accustomed to the finer things of life. His first thought was that she wanted to make fun of him, like so many others had done before. "Leave me alone," he growled.
To his amazement, the woman continued standing. She was smiling, her even white teeth displayed in dazzling rows. "Are you hungry"? she asked.
"No," he answered. The woman?s smile became even broader. Suddenly, the man felt a gentle hand under his arm. "What are you doing, lady"? the man asked angrily.
* * *
Just then, a policeman came up. "Is there any problem, ma?am"? he asked. "No problem here, officer," the woman answered. "I?m just trying to get this man to his feet. Will you help me"?
The officer scratched his head. "That?s old Jack. He?s been a fixture around here for a couple of years. What do you want with him"?
"I?m going to get him something to eat at that cafeteria."
"This is a good deal for you, Jack," the officer answered. "Don?t blow it."
* * *
The manager strode across the cafeteria and stood by the table. "What?s going on here, officer?" he asked. "What is all this. Is this man in trouble"?
"This lady brought this man in here to be fed," the policeman answered. "Not in here!" the manager replied angrily. "Having a person like that here is bad for business."
The woman turned to the cafeteria manager and smiled. "Sir, are you familiar with Eddy and Associates, the banking firm down the street"?
* * *
"Of course I am," the manager answered impatiently. "They hold their weekly meetings in one of my banquet rooms." "What business is that of yours"?
"I, sir, am Penelope Eddy, president and CEO of the company."
"Oh," the manager gasped. The woman smiled again. "I thought that might make a difference."
* * *
She sat down at the table across from her amazed dinner guest. She stared at him intently. "Jack, do you remember me"? Old Jack searched her face with his old, rheumy eyes.
"I was just out of college," the woman began. "I had come to the city looking for a job, but I couldn?t find anything. Finally I was down to my last few cents and had been kicked out of my apartment. I walked the streets for days. It was February and I was cold and nearly starving. I saw this place and walked in on the off chance that I could get something to eat."
* * *
Jack lit up with a smile. "Now I remember," he said. "I was behind the serving counter. You came up and asked me if you could work for something to eat. I said that it was against company policy."
"I know," the woman continued. "Then you made me the biggest roast beef sandwich that I had ever seen, gave me a cup of coffee, and told me to go over to a corner table and enjoy it. I was afraid that you would get into trouble."
* * *
"So you started your own business?" old Jack said. "I got a job that very afternoon. I worked my way up. Eventually I started my own business that, with the help of God, prospered." She opened her purse and pulled out a business card. "When you are finished here, I want you to pay a visit to a Mr. Lyons. He?s the personnel director of my company. I?ll go talk to him now and I?m certain he?ll find something for you to do around the office."
* * *
There were tears in the old man?s eyes. "How can I ever thank you," he said. "Don?t thank me," the woman answered. "To God goes the glory. Thank Jesus. He led me to you."
Outside the cafeteria, the officer and the woman paused at the entrance before going their separate ways. "Thank you for all your help, officer," she said. "On the contrary, Ms. Eddy," he answered. "Thank you. I saw a miracle today, something that I will never forget."
* * *
LESSONS: First, a good deed comes back to the kind giver. Second, like Penelope, always be a person who knows how to be grateful.
