My sister partcipated in a pay it foward act

[Liberalynn]

My sister was standing in a check out line. There were three people in the line, an elderly man with a U.S.M.C. tattoo and cap, a lady, and then my sister. The cashier rang up the man's purchases. He reached for his back pocket got a panicked look on his face and said " I can't find my wallet." The clerk paged customer service for someone to go look for his wallet in case he dropped it in the store. He asked if he could have his groceries set aside for him until it was found. The lady directly behind him pulled thirty dollars out of her purse and told the clerk she'd pay for his.

He said "thank you but I can't accept it" and she said "Yes you can I'd like to think someone would help me if this happened, let me help you." So she paid for his. Then my sister took ten dollars out of her purse and gave it to the lady. She said I'd go halves with you but I don't have any more cash with me. Both the lady and the man and the cashier thanked her.

It proves there are still kind people out there. I am so proud of my sister.

[Peacetrain]

1. What an absolutely wonderful. heartwarming op

Thank you for sharing that.. just made my day

[monmouth3]

2. Me too. Human beings being actually human..n/t

[Liberalynn]

4. You're welcome!

[tazkcmo]

3. Sweet.

Good to hear something like this when it seems we're surrounded by bad news. Thank you for posting this and cheers to your sister!

[Liberalynn]

5. You're welcome!

[trueblue2007]

6. beautiful lady

[Liberalynn]

7. +1

[pinboy3niner]

8. Good story!

Here's another:

After an Occupy L.A. demonstration, U4ikLefty, Fire Walk Wih Me and I popped into a nearby McDonalds for coffee. A local Skid Row resident was trying to buy coffee but he didn't have enough coins to pay for it, so we said we'd buy his coffee. We weren't expecting what happened next. When the homeless man got his coffee, he promptly put all of his coins into the donation box for Ronald McDonald House.

[Liberalynn]

9. That was wonderful of you and him.

[frazzled]

10. It's good to remember that there is kindness out there

And it happens every day, thanks to people like your sister.

But this story I read yesterday really blew my mind. If somebody gave you $500 and told you to go out and do something good with it, what would you do?

Churchgoers grumble that they always get hit with pleas for money. But congregants at a Chicago church this month got a surprise - they each received a check for $500, with instructions to go out and do something good with it.

"I was just in disbelief," said Valency Hastings, 42, when she got her check from the non-denominational LaSalle Street Church on the city's near north side. "The enormity of the responsibility of it has begun to sink in."

The money was the result of a real estate windfall - back in the 1970s, LaSalle Street and three other local churches had helped support a multiethnic, multi-income housing development.

The development was sold in June in what is now a pricey neighborhood, and LaSalle Street got $1.6 million. Senior Pastor Laura Truax and church elders decided to take a tenth of that money and give it to 320 members and regular attendees. The church as a whole will decide what to do with the rest of the money.

. . .

People who received checks have started sharing their thoughts about using them on an "idea wall" in the church basement. A group of doctors suggested sending the money to an Ebola clinic in Sierra Leone. Others plan to support CeaseFire, an anti-violence group.

Truax said congregants vary from the wealthy to the homeless, so if someone wants to use the money for rent, that is OK, too.

Hastings, a freelance graphic designer who is planning her wedding, said she is "in debt up to my eyeballs" but hopes to overcome the temptation to use the money for bills. She is thinking about using it to aid homeless gay and lesbian youth.

http://my.chicagotribune.com/#section/545/article/p2p-81465109/

[Liberalynn]

12. That's incredible!

More churches should do things like this.

[F4lconF16]

14. Just imagine the good that could be done

If all the churches that make massive amounts of money put it into true charity. Imagine if the Vatican were to donate everything they had.

Sadly, the hypocrisy of the majority of churches means that will never happen.

Edit to add that I love that this church did this. I think it's a great idea.

[LawDeeDah]

11. I love when this happens. I've been at both ends and it feels wonderful.

This is what people really are like, they are generous and kind overall.

But the messages of greed and selfishness sell junk and junk is king while the human spirit of kindness and generosity is the pauper.

[Liberalynn]

13. Agreed!