Kindness and a Glass of Milk
Day 275 of Photo Inspirations – Kindness and a Glass of Milk
My son sent this email to me yesterday – it was an email he received from his Dad 10 years ago – and it sure bears repeating today. Kindness to others can sure go a long way.
From: “Ronald J. Wuerch”
Date: Tuesday, November 15, 2005 at 10:30 AM
Subject: Do An Act of Kindness Each Day
You never know how important the good deed done by you today is connected to the answer in your tomorrow. The little things matter greatly in God’s sight. Let’s plant kindness today and impact our future. Smile, God’s watching.
Dad
A GLASS OF MILK
One day, a poor boy who was selling goods from door to door to pay his way through school, found he had only one thin dime left, and he was hungry.
He decided he would ask for a meal at the next house. However, he lost his nerve when a lovely young woman opened the door. Instead of a meal he asked for a drink of water. She thought he looked hungry so brought him a large glass of milk. He drank it so slowly, and then asked, How much do I owe you?” You don’t owe me anything,” she replied. “Mother has taught us never to accept pay for a kindness.” He said … “Then I thank you from my heart.” As Howard Kelly left that house, he not only felt stronger physically, but his faith in God and man was strong also. He had been ready to give up and quit.
Many years later, that same young woman became critically ill. The local doctors were baffled. They finally sent her to the big city, where they called in specialists to study her rare disease. Dr. Howard Kelly was called in for the consultation. When he heard the name of the town she came from, a strange light filled his eyes. Immediately he rose and went down the hall of the hospital to her room.
Dressed in his doctor’s gown he went in to see her. He recognized her at once. He went back to the consultation room determined to do his best to save her life. From that day, he gave special attention to her case. After a long struggle, the battle was won.
Dr. Kelly requested the business office to pass the final bill to him for approval. He looked at it, then wrote something on the edge and the bill was sent to her room. She feared to open it, for she was sure it would take the rest of her life to pay for it all. Finally she looked, and something caught her attention on the side of the bill. She read these words … “Paid in full with one glass of milk”
(Signed) Dr. Howard Kelly.
Tears of joy flooded her eyes as her happy heart prayed: “Thank You,
God, that Your love has spread broadly through human hearts and hands.”
Dr. Howard Kelly (1858-1943) was a distinguished physician who was one of the four founding doctors of John Hopkins, the first medical research university in the U.S. and arguably one of the finest hospitals anywhere. In 1895 he established the department of Gynecology and Obstetrics at that school. Over the course of his career, he advanced the sciences of gynecology and surgery, both as a teacher and as a practitioner.
There’s a saying which goes something like this: Bread cast on the waters comes back to you. The good deed you do today may benefit you or someone you love at the least expected time. If you never see the deed again at least you will have made the world a better place… and, after all, isn’t that what life is all about?