My Dad...From my sister's FB Page.

[BeHereNow]

'My Daddy is an amazing and generous man, we drove by a Mexican Family husband, wife, and three small children wrapped in blankets with a few meager possessions sitting under the over pass by a busy Dallas intersection. The man held a sign that said " lost my job, can't find work, homeless, please help." While most would chalk this up to panhandling and pass on by thinking it was a scam or possibly even believing it was real but just not wanting to take the time to roll down the window search for cash etc...Not my Dad, he circled back around the busy freeway to pull back through so he could pull out of the way of all the impatient "CHRISTmas Shoppers" honking horns and being self absorbed, so he could give that poor family every bit of cash he had in his pocket. The amount was $70.00 ,the mans eyes opened wide and he began to speak a language that was foreign but the tears in his eyes, gratitude and expression on his face spoke a universal language. My Dad wiped away tears as he drove away and said whats the point of having it if you can't help people like that. My heart swells with pride to be his daughter! The true meaning of Christmas was exemplified in that act of kindness."

Pay it forward people.


Yeah, I am blessed to have these people as my parents and my family.

BHN

[cynatnite]

1. I wish I could rec this a thousand times. n/t

[HappyMe]

2. Thanks for the smile.

[dipsydoodle]

3. He's a good man.

You're lucky to have him.

[BeHereNow]

6. He and my Mother are both 83 years old...

And to this day, they both make the world better place through music.
They lead the group sing along at the senior center, my mom plays piano for the local
group that does several gigs a week at the retirement homes-
Both my mom and dad had long and successful careers as classical musicians-
now they are just sharing the joy of music that as held them together since they met.
I am a fortunate person to call them my parents.

BHN Mom&Dad

[Not Me]

4. We took a vacation to Mexico earlier this year

to attend a niece's wedding. We haven't taken a trip in forever, and it was great.
The destination was an all inclusive place near Cancun that was pretty reasonable. We budgeded some extra $$ for restaurant meals, but once there we were amazed at the quality of the dining choices on site, so we didn't eat out much.

We were also amazed at the hardworking housekeeper, who spent at least 45 minutes each day keeping our room spotless.
On our last day, I realized she had worked (at least) 7 days in a row. So that morning, I handed her an envelope with $200 in it--money that we had planned to spend outside the resort for meals. She started crying, she was so overwhelmed.
Then, about 30 minutes later, she knocked on the door and with her were her husband and her little boy. Her husband came to the hotel with their son to also thank us.

Pay it forward indeed.

[renate]

11. how sweet that she brought them along to thank you

She didn't need to do that but she wanted you to know that your gift was really special. And it was--how kind of you!

What a lovely gift from both families to each other. That is a beautiful story.

[barbtries]

12. that money

was enough to make a real difference in their lives. a wonderful gesture i will try to remember if i'm ever in that situation. i usually just give a buck here and another one there.

[question everything]

35. Same here

Last month I went to COSTCO to purchase those humongous packs of diapers, paper towels and toilet papers to take to a local TV stations that was forming a caravan to the East Coast after Sandy.

On my way out of the strip mall a young woman was standing there in the cold, holding a sign asking for help. I don't remember the exact wording, may have mentioned a child. I stopped and gave her $3.00. I thought that even if she was just "panhandling" standing there in the cold and the wind, I did not care.

Of course, everyone else just drove by.

[Sekhmets Daughter]

5. He's a good man

and I bet you're a good person as well. Happy Holidays to you and your family.

[hamsterjill]

7. You should buy stock in Kleenex, because I am using a few right now!

Thank you for that. I needed that today. I really did!

I think we all need to be reminded consistently and constantly that there ARE good people left in this world. There are people who will step up to help when others act like they don't see pain and hurting.

My sincere and deep gratitude to your father for what he did. Yes, you are blessed to have those people as your parents, but you are, no doubt, a product of that upbringing and will bring this sort of compassion along with you for your own generation.

[AverageJoe90]

8. Your dad is a truly awesome guy & exemplary citizen.....

We coulld ALL try to live up to that standard, I think.

[malaise]

9. K & R for the good people on our planet

and there are many

[Smilo]

10. Sometimes on earth we find there are true treasures

your parents are real gems.

Please hug them from all at DU.

[renate]

13. I love your dad!

That pure goodness is really beautiful.

[ReRe]

14. K&R

If that's how your Dad treats total strangers, then yes, your family is blessed. That means you have Christmas every day of the year!

[WiffenPoof]

15. What a wonderful story....

My son, who was a big time surfer here in So Cal would take trips with his buddies down to Baja. They would often run into poor village people who had nothing....I mean so little that they lived under corrugated plastic and lean-to plywood. On one of the trips, Tyler and his buddies purchased a number of children's shoes to give out to the village. As they passed through, they dropped off the shoes to the elders and smiling children. On their way back a couple of days later they passed back through the village. As they drove through, they noticed that none of the children were wearing the shoes they had dropped off. When asked, the elders stated that they had taken the shoes and sold them to get money for food. The next time my son and his buddies drove down to Baja, they would drop off canned goods. I cannot express how proud I am of my boy. He turned out to be be an excellent surfer, but more importantly, he turned out to be a good man. I love you Ty.

-Paige

[classof56]

33. Thank you for introducing us to your wonderful son.

You have every reason to be proud of him and his buddies, too. He chose excellent friends!

Blessings

[RockaFowler]

16. Love this story - love your Dad

That is the true meaning of the season

[Ikonoklast]

17. Damn, seems I got something in my eye.

[redwitch]

18. You are truly blessed.

And you lifted my heart a bit, I really needed it.

[Victor_c3]

19. I read post similar to this about a week ago, about a member's husband who gives money to homeless

It actually hit a nerve in me. On my way home from work I stopped in my usual gas station to get some beer and I saw a homeless guy digging through a garbage can for either cans or food or both. I went into the store, bought my beer, and gave the homeless guy $10. As I first approached him he looked a little apprehensive, but when I gave him the money and said "I think you can use a little help" his face lit up. I turned and left before he could say anything to me and, as I was getting into my car, I saw him hold his hands to his face like he was praying and shout "thank you, god".

I probably would have spent that $10 on lotto tickets and some over-priced coffee had I kept it for myself. Instead, I left with a great feeling of satisfaction for being able to help someone. I'm suppose he could have spent it on beer or something, but who am I to judge him for wanting a beer? After a hard day I like to sit down and relax with a beer (or three or four). If I were homeless I'd probably need the little bit of comfort some alcohol could provide. Anyways, it made his day and it made me feel good as well.

[turbo_satan]

20. That's the way. (n/t)

[mzmolly]

21. What a lovely, touching

story. Yes, you are blessed.

Thank you Dad from us, too.

[Scruffy Rumbler]

22. If only all humanity was like your family....

there would be no need for his actions. To more families like yours!

[arthritisR_US]

23. I'm very weepy these days and this made

me weep in warmth. So nice to know that wonderful people walk among us

[Dustlawyer]

24. My mom recently put me in my place on this issue. She was dropping me off at the bus station.

I was inside already gettinG my ticket when I noticed a lady talking to her outside by her truck. I walked out quickly to see my mom handing over 4-5 bucks. The lady scrammed and I chastised my mom telling her that there were panhandlers everywhere around a bus station. She said the lady's story was she needed a gallon of gas and had left her purse at home. We watched the lady drive off w/o getting gas. My mom told me, "if she was telling the truth, then it was her (my mom's) responsibility to help, if the lady was lying, it was the ladies responsibility come Judgement day!" Who could argue with mom about that.

[zipplewrath]

27. I could

I probably wouldn't.

There's a fine line here and it's really about coming up with a system/criteria/methodology for yourself on how to handle these. I've given money, and I've ignored pleas my whole life. I've discovered I've been scammed, and I've found out I "made a difference". It is the truth that one must be careful of "laziness" in any sense. The "easy" thing to do is decide that everyone is a scammer, and do nothing. But it is equally "easy" to just hand someone $5 and "buy off" your own conscience without much thought or effort.

At the end of the day, what you have to wrestle with is not if or how much you gave, but if you did or did not because you truly made an effort, or you were just avoiding them.

[Auntie Bush]

25. That brought tears to my eyes...what a kind and generous man! Speaks volumes about his character.

I know that sense of pride! My son went to NYC and saw this homeless girl begging for money. He was afraid to give her money because he feared she use it for drugs...so he took her to a nearby restaurant...bought her lunch...sat down with her and had lunch with this poor disheveled
soul. I was proud of him because I think I'd be too embarrassed to sit and eat lunch with her.

[WillyT]

26. HUGE K & R !!!

[blm]

28. (( ))

.

[ChisolmTrailDem]

29. Your dad and sister are the best! I wonder if

that family is still out there - I'd love to join your dad in helping them as much as I could. I hope they are okay and receiving enough help to at least have some food and shelter each day.

[kimbutgar]

30. Great story, your Dad is a true humanitarian.

Give him a big kiss next time you see him and say it is from a fan of his on DU.

[nolabear]

31. Merry Christmas doesn't come from nowhere, you know.

Thank your dad for me for BEING the spirit of the holiday.

[dipsydoodle]

32. Wow - already in the top three on the Greatest Page here.

[Rider3]

34. What a great man!

Karma will be very, very good to him. Bless him and his kindness!

[LittleGirl]

36. tears......my husband would do the same. n/t

[babylonsister]

37. Give that man a hug from me!!

Stellar reaction! We should all be more like your dad. And Happy- Whatever You Want To Call It-to you and yours! THIS is what it's all about.

[ProudProgressiveNow]

38. K&R nt

[calimary]

39. Isn't that what the spirit of Christmas is supposed to be about?

Beautiful story. All the better for being real. Thank you for sharing it with us, BeHereNow!

[Dalai_1]

40. Great Post! Kick

[renie408]

41. I love your Dad. And I don't even know him!! How lucky you are!

[southernyankeebelle]

42. If everyone stopped to help people maybe the world would be a better place.

[femrap]

43. Due to the Holiday season,

I baked some Turtle Brownies and took them down to our local soup kitchen. Driving home, I thought, 'Why don't I do this every week. It doesn't have to be Xmas.'

So once a week, I'll take something to the soup kitchen. Even if I just buy a couple of bags of cookies. I'll phone and see what they would like to have.

Your dad is great.

[mountain grammy]

44. My son will never pass someone with a sign asking for money

without handing over a few bucks. If the sign says "veteran" he hands over a few bucks more. I do this only occasionally, but will try to be more like my son. Your story is beautiful, and true. What's the point of having anything if you can't help people.

[Dont call me Shirley]

45. You lucky lucky being and your sister too.

[The Wizard]

46. Random acts of kindness

are what's needed for a national healing.

[Ilsa]

47. That is the true spirit of the season. Blessings to you all. nt

[dipsydoodle]

48. Kick

[VOX]

49. Good news from TX has been slim, but this is beautiful...

We should all be just a little bit more like your dad.

[byoung6]

50. Just awesome, made my day!

I don't have much, and I lost my Dad 15 years ago, but I remember when I was a kid going at thanksgiving and Christmas with my dad to buy several families the groceries to make holiday dinners, then we would go deliver the groceries. I never went to the door with him and never knew who the families were, but they knew Dad. He only told me thats what you do, you help, you give. You don't judge, you just give. I have never forgotten what he taught me. You don't judge, you just give. It doesn't matter why a family is needy, those little kids in that house didn't make any choices, they just know its thanksgiving , or christmas, or whatever. My Dad often gave to panhandlers cause he said, "you wouldn't tell a diabetic they don't need insulin, i am not gonna tell a guy on the street thats is so sick for alcohol he doesn't need it" dad said that him not giving a guy a quarter wasn't gonna heal his disease, he may eat, he may not, it wasn't for us to judge. I have always believed that.
Your Dad is a wonderful person, you hold onto that forever. My Dad is gone, but the memories like that mean everything.

[iemitsu]

51. Thank you for sharing such a lovely Christmas story.

We will all need to be prepared to dig into our pockets to help seniors if Obama trades away any of the meager Social Security payments they have earned.
I am livid that he has proposed to do this as I have a Mother-in-Law who lives with me because her SS and her retirement check are not enough to allow her to live and a mother who also needs help. I can't imagine how most SS recipients will survive.
Thank you Obama for the worst possible Christmas message ever, that it is better to starve the old and defenseless than to tax the rich.
And thank you BeHereNow for reminding me that not everyone is so cruel.

[kentauros]

52. I just read a similar "pay it forward" today

on the site Not Always Right. And yes, I know there are those here that don't think most of these are real, that they're written up by very creative individuals. But, having worked retail myself, I'm inclined to believe them all, including the following idea that I want to implement:

The Gift Card That Keeps Giving
Retail | Greeley, CO, USA | At The Checkout, Awesome Customers, Holidays, Money Issues, Themed Giveaway

(I am working the register over Christmas.)

Me: “Find everything today?”

Customer: “Yup.”

(Note: she is silent through the transaction, which includes a gift card.)

Me: “How much would you like on this?”

Customer: “Oh, sorry. Can I have $150?”

Me: “No problem.”

Customer: *after paying* “Can you do me a favor?” *she hands me the gift card* “The next customer you see that you think could use this, could you give it to them?”

Me: *stunned* “…Of course!”

(After a minute another customer comes up, a visibly upset young woman.)

Me: “Hi! How are you?”

Customer #2: “I’m okay, thanks.”

(Clearly she is not ok, but she is trying very hard to be pleasant. She is getting very basic items: milk, bread, eggs, etc. Nothing very festive.)

Me: “So your total comes out to $0.00.”

Customer: “What?”

Me: “The person before you gave me a $150 gift card to use for the next person I thought could use it. You look like you’re having a rough day, so here are your groceries, and there’s about $130 left on this card.”

(The customer just started crying. Once she could, she thanked me about 100 times. Made my whole Christmas season.)

to you, too

[nadinbrzezinski]

53. Hug your dad