You Never Know

My son recently started a new job with Starbucks Coffee and he came home and told us a story that still gives me pause. One morning a man came in to get a cup of coffee. The man really looked down and had a scowl on his face. When he came to the counter he ordered his coffee. The barista who took his order recognized the painful and troubled expression on his face and said with a smile, “You look like you could use a free cup of coffee.  Please accept it as a gift from me.”

The man took the coffee without saying a word and walked out of the store. About two hours later he returned and said to the barista, “I just got of prison and if it were not for your kindness I was going to hurt someone today.”  Wow! You never know...

You never know what someone is going through and the affect of your actions on the person. Do you smile or grimace at people you meet? Do you open the door for someone or let it slam in their face?

Some of you may have heard about the story of the student walking to school who dropped his books and as he was picking them up, another student bent down and helped him, while other students just walked by.

Years later, at the student's graduation in which he was valedictorian, he recounted the story and to everyone's surprise he said that on that day he had been on his way home to commit suicide. Because of the actions of the student who helped pick up his books he had changed his mind.

You never know...

Just like the perceptive and kind barista, we need to be aware of what is going on around us and to be sensitive to the lives of others.  Simple acts of kindness can have a big impact on someone's life and potentially change the course of history.

You never know...