Day #148: Give a Birthday Present To a Stranger

We ate at a restaurant today for lunch. At the table next to ours sat a young man and his mother. They were both outgoing and struck up a conversation with us.

It turns out, the mom had brought her son there for his 22nd birthday. He had a cognitive disability and was excited to tell us all about whoopie pies and the upcoming fireworks show on 4th of July.

As we were leaving, I wished we had something to give as a birthday present. When we got in the truck, I found a coin that I had brought back from Ukraine last summer. Kayla and I took the coin back inside and asked him if he liked to collect things. He said, "oh yes." We gave him the coin as a small birthday gift.

One comment on “Day #148: Give a Birthday Present To a Stranger”

Jenn says:

July 7, 2011 at 4:30 am

I'm sure your small act of kindness made that family's day. There is something about receiving something unexpected that helps put a smile on your face that lasts the whole day long!

Our family spent 2011 traveling the USA in an RV, striving to intentionally "give every day" for the glory of God. We interviewed CEOs of nonprofits and served alongside over 40 organizations and churches.

Our Pledge

We hereby pledge:

- To spend intimate, quantity time with our family.
- To actively help the poor, the sick, the lonely, and the helpless.
- To value, protect, and advocate for children.
- To de-emphasize the importance of “stuff” in our lives.
- To bring publicity to good causes and good people.
- To live with intentionality, as if this year was our very last.
- To observe the needs in our country/community – and then do something about them.
- To give – every day.