Sunday, July 15, 2012

The Kindness of Strangers

"How many children do you have?", asked the elderly woman who had sat in front of us at Mass last night.  "Five" I said with a forced smile, bracing myself for one of the remarks I usually hear after stating this fact.  She smiled and then asked, "Do you have any help?" 

"Help?  No, we don't have any help" I replied.  

After all we live in New England, not the deep south, and this is 2012, not 1955.  So no, we don't have any "help".

Her adult son, who was sitting in the pew with her took a wad of dollar bills out of his pocket and asked each child of mine if they had been good this week, and as they nodded yes, he handed them one dollar.  Even the baby, who promptly tried to taste it.  We made sure the kids said thank you, then whispered to them that they should put their money in the poor box on the way out the door. They happily agreed and walked as fast as possible over to the St. Vincent de Paul box and shoved their money inside.  

As I watched the scene play out, I was reminded of how, a few years ago, the St. Vincent de Paul group at a friend's church had arranged to pay for summer camp for my two older boys at the time.  The price of the two-week day camp was way more than we could have afforded on Phil's schoolteacher salary and my stay-at-home non-salary, and they took pity on our ever expanding family and offered to give my older boys an adventure they wouldn't otherwise have been able to experience.

I also recalled, during that same season of financial struggles, the lady who responded to my ad in the local newspaper where I asked for a house to house sit because we were a young family who couldn't afford rent ( I didn't include that part in the ad, I just posted that we were looking for a house sitting opportunity).  This lady saw the ad, called us up, and offered us her four bedroom house on the beach from September to May in exchange that we mailed her any bills that came, and took care of her lawn.  We lived in that house for two years with John-Paul and then Andrew before saving enough money to move into our current home.

I have plenty more examples where the generosity of people we barely knew truly got us through.  For instance, the priest we had just met that gave us a check to help us out, a man who knew my parents that heard we were expecting our fourth baby in four years and wanted to gift us a sum of money, the friend who secretly left a grocery store gift card on our counter during one of our football parties, the anonymous family who "adopted" us for two Christmases and gave our children items on their wish lists.  

We have been blessed tremendously during our married life from people we don't even know and that's not even to mention the generosity of friends and family too.  It seems exactly when we needed it, we have received whatever we were lacking.  God has always taken care of us and we trust that He will continue to do so, as long as we are generous and faithful to Him.  The gospel reading we chose for our wedding Mass, because we knew we were young fools in love with no material goods but lots of faith, was Matthew 6:25-34:

 “Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothes? Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they? Can any one of you by worrying add a single hour to your life?
 “And why do you worry about clothes? See how the flowers of the field grow. They do not labor or spin.  Yet I tell you that not even Solomon in all his splendor was dressed like one of these.  If that is how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today and tomorrow is thrown into the fire, will he not much more clothe you—you of little faith?  So do not worry, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’  For the pagans run after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them. But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.  Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.

As we loaded the kids into the car after Mass last night, a man we do not know approached our car and Phil opened his window.  The man reached in and gave us a $10 bill because he saw the kids donating their dollars to the poor and was touched.  I wish I could go back in time to when that little old lady asked me if we had any help, and respond "Yes, we get plenty of help, and plenty of kindness from strangers!" 


22 comments:

  1. You have no idea how much I needed this post! We chose the same reading and for the same reason... and here just 3 months later I really need that reminder! Love this and love the strangers who have been so kind to your family.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Wow, I have never known another couple who chose that reading! Even our amazing priest was like, are you sure?? Stacy - just trust in God, be generous yourself, and you will be amazed at what comes your way.

      Delete
    2. we had that reading too!!!!! our first reading was noah and the flood picked by my husband and this one was picked by me, but in german as we were married in innsbruck austria 8 years ago last tuesday. my husband is austrian, we live in zell am see and our visiting my family in chicago with our 3 little boys. I am the reader you might notice who is SOMEWHERE IN AUSTRIA on your side bar showing visitors at odd hours of the night. :) I love your blog and your story. esp. that you 2 met in austria! thanks!

      Delete
  2. Colleen, this is a beautiful post. It brought tears to my eyes. Thanks for sharing.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Kathleen, I'm sure you probably have similar stories looking back on your own family life. Thank you for reading!

      Delete
  3. This is wonderful. We've been similarly blessed by the generosity of others. It's always amazing to see how God has provided for us, even when we don't realize it at the time. Thanks for sharing!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. His generosity never can be outdone!! I would love to hear the examples of how you have been blessed :)

      Delete
  4. Beautiful Bible verse! Very fitting for us in our marriage as well. I can't help but be slightly jealous of your "help" :) Just have to trust that God knows best when we are truly in need of help and that we just have to be open to receive it when He provides it! Prayers for you and your family!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Jenna, I just went to visit your blog and I think perhaps we have had more opportunities for people to reach out simply because we have been married for longer and had more time to receive these blessings! I hope my article didn't come across as bragging, I am humbled by the gifts we have received, and we likewise try to bless others whenever we can. Our whole life is like the part where we put $5 in the poor box and then get $10 in return. Praying for your beautiful family that you never truly want for anything :)

      Delete
  5. wow, that's so wonderful!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. It inspires me to do so much more for others when I realize how lucky we have been!

      Delete
  6. Brought tears to my eyes picturing the sweet liitle Martin's giving to the poor. How blessed and wonderful it is to receive kindness rather than the critical/judgmental stares or words that strangers sometimes impart. It is such a rewarding breath of fresh air.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. They do love giving to those less fortunate. I would live to take credit for that but I think it is through all the charity work their school is involved in!

      Delete
  7. how amazing Colleen! it is a crazy world out there, but there is so much good too. I am so glad that God has blessed your family for your faithfulness!

    ReplyDelete
  8. i loved reading this post! and can relate in so many ways...when I was having all my babies..people would be so amazingly generous...clothes, car seats, high chairs...I do not think we could have managed without the kindness of others...we are now soundly on our feet and we all know we owe and owe...it is fun paying back...
    i am your newest follower..pls follow back if you can.
    I love how your kids gave the $ away...a beautiful lesson for everyone

    ReplyDelete
  9. What a great post! Don't you just love how God sends us exactly what we need, when we need it?

    ReplyDelete
  10. Thanks for making me cry. I couldn't help but think when I read this of how many times I have been blessed also by the generosity of others both as a single person working as a "very poor Catholic school teacher" as well as in my "married life". We have been so richly blessed. It's true. He always provides.

    "How can you say there are too many children? That's like saying there are too many flowers!" -Mother Theresa

    ReplyDelete
  11. This is not the first time I've cried happy tears here, Colleen. Thank you for sharing your beautiful story.

    ReplyDelete
  12. Love this post - thanks for sharing the story. And your children are truly fortunate to have you and Phil to teach them about money. Lessons plus these stories of generosity are amazing!! Also - did you really live rent free for the first couple years???? That is phenomenal!

    ReplyDelete
  13. Awesome :) makes me smile.

    Things like this happen to us to... Maybe not as great as getting to live on a beach free great but great none the less. My whole house has been supplied by free furnishings. We had nothing NOTHING when we moved here and now have too much stuff... Especially stuff for the kids. I have noticed the more you give away the more you get back... Which is how I have lived my whole life. After the 2 year old I gave away everything I had for her and again I now have everything I need and more for Lucy that strangers have provided.

    The poor box in our church is too high. It's at adult high level. I never even noticed it until last week and I thought why would they put it there ?? I was remembering my childhood and putting in coins every week for st Vincent de Paul and how even as a child it was spiritual for me... And my own kids never do that since I would have to lift them up and my kids are heavy-- so they put their money on the basket but it's not the same.

    ReplyDelete
  14. I love that scripture. it is especially dear to my heart right now because we are going through some very trying times, financially. I can remember praying and praying about it a few months ago, and really pleading with God to help us out, and it was precisely that moment when I realized we had been helped. In a week's time I had had two little "job" offers. It wasn't exactly what I'd had in mind {sometimes I want God just to "fix" the big problem ~ not ease us out a dollar at a time, lol!}. Now I'm trying harder to recognize just how blessed we are.

    ReplyDelete
  15. I love this post! We've been super blessed by the generosity of others as well...it's so amazing. It is so true, that no matter what, God always provides.

    ReplyDelete

Talk to me...