I drove to a local supermarket the other day. My shopping list was long and my wallet was light. Still, I needed to get a week's worth of groceries for my family. I parked my car, looked down at my list, and hoped I could afford it all.

As I approached the door I saw a man with kind eyes and a gentle smile. He said he was collecting for a local food bank that helped to feed the hungry in my area. He handed me a second shopping list of things they could use and asked me to help if I could. I smiled back, took the list and walked into the store. I really wanted to help but wasn't sure if I could this time.

I walked through the store getting vegetables, soup, spaghetti, bread, milk, cereal, macaroni, bananas, and a dozen other things. I slowly marked each item off my list until I was done. When I looked down at my full cart I wondered again if I even had enough to pay for it all. Then as I put my own list back into my pocket I saw the food bank list under it. I smiled and decided to trust in the Heavenly Father who loves us all. I went over and picked up two of the biggest boxes of rice the store had for the food bank and put them in my cart. It took another six dollars out of my wallet to pay for them, but my heart felt six times larger when I did. And when everything was totaled, I had just enough to pay for it all.

It takes so little to make our world a better place. It takes so little to do God's work here. A few dollars can help to fill a child's hungry belly. A smile and hug can help to heal a hurting heart. An encouraging word can inspire someone else to live and to love. A random act of kindness can change another's day and life. It is up to you, though. You can think only of yourself and those close to you or you can see that we are all Children of the same God. You can save a few bucks on rice or you can share a love that will last for all eternity.

~ Joseph J. Mazzella ~