As we walked into our grocery store today a Salvation Army Volunteer asked me if he could give K a sucker. We thanked him for the sucker, and entered the grocery store. When we came out of the store K made his very first donation. The volunteer wished us a very Merry Christmas, and we said the same in return.
He is too young to understand the importance of giving, but he is not to young to understand the gesture of giving. I want my son to grow up and contribute to his community. Not just be a working citizen, but be someone who contributes to the well being of the community. I want him to do that by volunteering his time, donating material items that people might need, or by simply making someone smile by a simple kind gesture.
After getting stamps at the grocery store we drove passed a young man playing his drums on the corner of an intersection. He was playing his drum to earn money to donate to a specific charity he liked. This young man was physically performing the lesson I want to install into my son. So, I pulled over and we got out of the car. K made his second donation, and wished the young man a Merry Christmas. He thanked us for K's donation and wished us a Merry Christmas in return, while flashing us a very warm smile.
I'm writing this post a few hours after our experience.....and that young man's smile and music is still in my head. Giving is suppose to be selfless. You are not suppose to get anything in return. But, I feel like I have. My mind has a beautiful smile and music playing and my heart is full of gratitude for a lesson I was able to experience with my son today.
Beautiful!
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