My 4th story for Chicken Soup for the Soul appeared in their most recent anthology, Random Acts of Kindness that was released in February. I love their books as does my entire family, especially when one of my stories appear. So, it was no surprise when one of my nieces-in-law, Linda, requested the latest book for her birthday.
Because Linda and my other niece-in-law Val have March birthdays, my sister always hosts a family party to celebrate their birthdays along with one of my nephews. It's a great, big, extended family celebration, but it's sometimes difficult to come up with something interesting and different as a gift.
I remembered that Val had also asked about the book earlier, so it was an easy decision to give them both a book as a present. I decided also to give them each microlights which seem to currently be a big trend in decorating. And then another idea occurred: Add a simple $5 Walmart gift card that they could use to perform their own random act of kindness!
What happened then is very special. Val knew immediately that she would give the card to one of the needy individuals who is often seen standing at a highway off-ramp, something she often does. It didn't take long for her to discover someone who would appreciate the card.
But, the most remarkable story came from Linda. She was shopping at Walmart and heard an elderly lady in the next aisle talking to a clerk. "Don't you have something a little cheaper?" she asked. "I don't have the extra $4 to spend." When the clerk said no, Linda popped around the corner to give the woman the $5 gift card.
Are you sensing the same divine intervention that I did? The woman was short $4 so the $5 gift card covered the deficit and the taxes. Now that's what I would call somewhat of a miracle! It not only won the gratitude of the recipient, but made Linda feel so good inside too. That's a double gift, and now Linda wants to carry more gift cards to give out for just such occurrences. She learned what Val already knew about random acts of kindness.
Who would believe that something so simple as a $5 gift card could bring such happiness to the givers and the recipients. God, through Jesus, certainly knew what He was doing when He commanded us to love and care for one another. Now that's what I call a truly double gift!
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