|
Written by CH Cheah
|
|
Saturday, 10 May 2008 00:06 |
|
As I was walking home the other day, I saw an old woman sitting by the pavement. Her clothes were worn and stained. Her face was smudged with dirt and her lips dry. Her white hair was matted and plastered to her scalp, it must have not seen washing for a long, long time. She was sitting on a pile of worn, flattened carton box. She looked kindly but her expression had a worn, tired and rejected look.
As each person walked passed her, she would held out her frail shaking hands and pleaded, "Some money for food, please?" Most people walked pass her in disgust. Some would put some small change into her outstretched hands. When she saw the shillings she would smile and bowed her head, "Thank you sir."
I reached into my pockets and felt for some shillings. I found that I didn't seem to have any shillings but had a five dollar bill. A thought came to me, why not make the old lady's day a little by giving her a fiver. The thought came for a fleeting moment, and then it was gone. I kept searching for loose shillings in my pockets. I found a twenty cents coin finally, but by that time, I have walked past the old lady and she was some distance behind. I looked back at the old lady and she was looking at me with a bright hope in her eyes. She had seen me searching for change in my pockets and she was hoping that I would give her something, even if it was small. Reluctantly I turned around and walked on. I could almost imagine her downcast and disappointed face as she looked at my back when I walked away from her. Not many people were giving her anything. Every cent must have meant a lot for her.
I couldn't forget the old lady that day. I could have just given her the five dollar that I had. I almost did, why did I stop? I could have just turned around and walked a few paces back to put some money in her hands, why didn't I? I had the money, and it is not like I couldn't spare five dollars. It might have made the old lady's day. It could have bought her a warm meal for once in her long days in the cold street. She looked so frail and weak.
I decided to find her again the next day. I was going to give her some money. Enough for a warm drink and meal, perhaps even a change of clothes. I walked that way again the next day. But she was not at her usual spot. The next day I walked the same way again, but again she wasn't there. This went on for a week and at last I gave up and thought that perhaps she might have moved elsewhere. Perhaps the people around here were not as charitable as she had hoped.
After a few weeks, I had forgotten about the whole incident and life went on as usual. As for the old lady, I have not seen her again. I am not sure where she is now and how she is doing. But what I know was that I had missed my chance to do a good deed. I should have done what I'd felt right to do at that moment. We are all creations of the same Creator, brothers and sisters on earth. Sometimes, moments are given to us to help someone, to give a hand and to make someone's day just a little better. Little deeds like these, done by lots of people on earth are what that will make the world a better place. Don't miss your chance to help someone when it comes knocking at your door, don't regret that you did not lend a hand to another fellow human when he needed your help. We can make our place a better one, just by helping each other like the brother and sisters that we really are.
Trackback(0)
 |
A Dollar or Loose Change?
TrackBack URI for this entry
