I don't remember exactly how old I was, but at least eight and probably no older than ten. Mom was running errands with my brother, sister, and I when we drove past this tree. Down at the base, sitting under the shelter of the branches, was a woman who'd done her best to protect herself from the elements with a plastic sheet of some sort.
"She's been there all night. That plastic means she was there when it rained during the night." That's what Mom said. What she did was turn around, go the bakery in the shopping center we'd just left, buy a cup of coffee, and deliver it to the woman who'd spent a cold, rainy night wrapped in a tarp under a tree.
Decades have past since then, but I still think of those few minutes of my life every single time I pass this tree.
None of us can solve all the world's problems. None of us can single-handedly fix even one individual person's problems. But we can all look for opportunities to quietly and humbly show kindness to someone who could use it.
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