Thought for the Week

A family of four was enjoying their day out at the beach. The children were playing in the sand building sandcastles when in the distance a little old lady appeared, carrying a bag. Her grey hair was blowing in the wind and her clothes were ragged. She was muttering something to herself as she picked up things from the beach and put them into her bag. The mum called the children to her side and told them to stay away from the old lady. As she passed by, bending down every now and then to pick something up, she smiled at the family. But her smile were ignored by the family. 

A couple of weeks later the family were watching their local channel on TV, when they saw the same lady on the programme. They learned that the little old lady was a retired schoolteacher who had made it her lifelong crusade to pick up bits of glass from the beach so people wouldn't cut their feet. That year she was presented an award for her lifelong commitment. Also they learned that as she picked up the broken glass, she prayed for the people who had dropped it, even though she didn't know who they were. In front of the TV the whole family felt that they had missed an opportunity by not smiling back. The mum said it all, “I wish I had greeted her when she smiled at us”.

                        ‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least 

                       of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me.’ -Matthew 25:40