Meet Sarah.

She’s 7. Sassy. Full of spunk. She’s artistically talented as my office is adorned with her cat  drawings and crosses that she’s done for me over the last couple of years.

Sarah isn’t mine.  She belongs to my office manager, DeAnn.  (Maybe this blog will get me some brownie points😂).  We’re like family around our office. When I want to throttle my kids…. DeAnn can often be a voice of reason.  And vice versa.

Recently, she told me about Sarah’s 2nd grade class being assigned to complete a community project of their choosing. One criteria of the project was that whatever they did had to make a difference in the community.  It could have been something as simple as recycling plastics. Snap a few pictures and share their experiences on PowerPoint presentation.

Simple enough, right?

Except what Sarah chose affected me personally.

She chose to do an “Acts of Kindness” project that took her weeks to complete.  And she did each act in honor of a classmate.  One act was as simple as leaving a candy dish in the vestibule of her church. Another was leaving Oreos for the mailman. She provided Thanksgiving pies for a couple of her neighbors in her neighborhood as well as one across town. She taped popcorn to Redbox stations.  Someone benefited from a “pay for the car behind you” at Chic-fila.  Sarah took donuts and coffee to her school administration.  These are just a few of the things she did.

That’s Sarah.  Years ago, I remember her filling up a food box for the homeless.  Last Christmas, she and some family friends helped provide Christmas for a grandfather and his minor grandchildren.  More times than I can count…. her artwork, or sweet notes are attached to whatever she does.

Sometimes we get so caught up in life that we forget the simple things.  Our hearts get hard. And then comes along a little girl to remind us of what really matters. Her “little” project had a ripple effect.

The neighbor that she blessed with an apple pie turned around and blessed her family with pizzas one evening.  And so on. And me?  Sarah reminded me that it’s not my place to judge the seed where it’s planted or even to deny the seed being planted …. just plant the seed. The seed will grow and produce more seed.  And more plants. And more seeds.

We live in a world that teaches us to focus on ourselves. We’re taught to satisfy our wants and put ourselves before others.  The smile on Sarah’s face as she gave expecting nothing in return told me that she’s already received her reward.  The satisfaction of knowing her selfless project left the world in a better place than what she found it.

This world needs more Sarahs.

Until next time,

The Beancounter