Be the answer to someone’s prayers.

Dr. Jo Blessing tells the story of a chance meeting between two strangers. An older woman had been sitting on a park bench, despondent and lonely, thinking of suicide, when a young man sat down next to her. The two of them fed the pigeons together for a few minutes. Finally the young man got up, turned to the woman and thanked her for such a nice time. This seemingly small kindness restored the woman’s faith in life. The young man never knew that he had been the answer to her prayers.

We are here on earth to do good for others. What the others are here for I don’t not know. -W.H. Auden

On any given day, without really realizing it, you may be the answer to someone’s prayers. If you’re too busy to reach out to people in your community, you’re too busy. Never forget that your touch, your thoughtfulness and your love really can work wonders in the lives of others.

Once a week for the next five years call someone you care about. Call a lonely neighbor, or visit an elderly person in a retirement community. Take a walk. Enjoy the sun together. Eat a popsicle. Laugh, hug, cry or feed the birds together.

To the world you may be just one person, but to one person you may be the world. – Josephine Billings