The Power of Giving...

One fine day, a Lady was walking with her usual smile switched on, and broadening at every passing face. She spotted an old couple on the other side of the road, dressed very well; especially the old gentlemen in India are always dressed in an Indian bandgala jacket, trousers and ubiquitous cap relative to the place .
This gentleman too was dressed similarly. She beamed a smile at the couple, and the old man smiled back; a toothless grin.
There was something very sweet about his smiling countenance.
It warmed my heart. Suddenly, this man signalled her to cross over to his side of the road. She smiled and obeyed.He seemed to hesitate while speaking. She guessed that he needed some help. At close quarters, his clothes looked worn out.His wife too was looking at her with some apprehension in her eyes.
The old man asked, “Why did you smile at us?” She was taken aback by this question, and replied gingerly, “I am God’s child, and so are you.
God’s children must greet each other. I felt happy to see you, so I smiled.”He seemed satisfied
with her answer and added, “You are a good woman.Would you help us?”
She said, “Sure.What can I do for you?”
Her positivity encouraged him.He said, “We have come from Chandanpur (A village in India) , to meet a Govt official . Now our work is over and we need to return home. Unfortunately, I have lost my wallet, and we have no money to buy our return tickets. We haven’t even eaten anything since morning. If you can give us about hundred rupees, we shall be grateful.”
She didn’t even think twice before reaching out for her wallet. To her embarrassment She realised that She didn’t have a single hundred rupee note in her purse. Since there was no requirement for carrying any money on her daily commute, She had not checked her wallet in the morning. Sheepishly, She emptied her wallet, taking out all the notes and all the coins. By the cursory look that She took at the collection, She guessed that it would amount to about 90
rupees. She felt as though somehow She had let the old man down.With moist eyes she handed over all that money to him and said, “I am sorry that I do not have any more than this right now. Please forgive me.”The old man took the money with gratitude, and blessed me.His wife too beamed a toothy smile.

She walked on with a mixed bag of feelings. For a fleeting moment She wondered if it was a con story and She was duped. The embarrassment of moving around with almost an empty purse lingered on for a while.But predominantly there was a feeling of freedom. She loved the fact that
She didn’t hesitate before emptying out her little fortune. It was a great feeling. She had never done it before. She felt as though She had achieved some kind of liberation from attachment with money.

She reached home with a spring in her step. A real surprise awaited her at home.

As usual, She switched on her laptop and opened her mail. There was a mail from one of her colleagues at Metro City , informing her that the head of academics of her company head office in
Delhi had been enquiring about her.

She had thoughtfully sent her his contact number. She immediately dialled it. Lo and behold, She was being offered the opportunity to be part of a team, working on a new vertical of ‘communication enhancement’. It was a prestigious project, which involved conceptualisation, content writing, and launching of the product.A dream come true!? Well, it was beyond anything I had ever dreamt about. They were offering her air tickets, Accommodation, and lots of money to boot.
She pinched herself.Was She dreaming? Then it dawned on her. She was being rewarded, a thousandfold reward, for her simple act of generosity that afternoon. The old man’s toothless grin flashed in her mind’s eye.Was he some kind of an angel?

Aren’t we all angels in disguise? Her faith in Divinity and the power of ‘giving’ took a quantum leap. She remembered something that She had read somewhere, “The nature of nature is ‘giving’. Since we too are part of nature, it is natural for us to give.Giving means sharing. No more, no less.When we give we are just being a channel for the flow of His grace; because he is the only Source of abundance on Earth.”

She felt grateful beyond words, tears welled up in her eyes, and She let them roll down. Tears of love, joy,faith and gratitude.



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