A Memorable Moment

Yesterday we tore down a fence knowing that today we would build one. I say 'we' like I actually knew what I was doing but it is my husband who knows the tricks of all trades. He taught me the process today with patience and humor. I mixed cement for the first time, ran the drill, and prided myself on getting the boards in place before he was ready to screw the next one in. By the end of the day, the project was done.

The most memorable part of today was how touched I was by my husband's generosity. A neighbor from across the street came over and asked if he could mow the lawn for us. We had all the tools there at the house and were planning to do it ourselves. But my husband accepted his offer because he wanted to help the guy out. And the look on the man's face was that of genuine joy when my husband thanked him for the offer and accepted. My husband said to me while the man was mowing, "This will help him out, so why not". And I couldn't have agreed more.

I admire my husband for his genuine and thoughtful nature. When he went to pay the guy, he payed him double. The man looked at him with surprise, smiled and said, "Thanks man, times have been really tough". And it broke my heart because he really meant it. It was one of those moments that kept playing in my head for the rest of day. I kept asking myself the question, what more can we do to help out in our community? To make a small difference in another's life.

I tell this story now not to brag up my husband and his kind gesture today but to record the story here for our children to read when they are older. My hope is that they will take the extra steps towards helping others and that they will know how to be generous with their time and their money. I really feel that this is an important quality. I feel that generosity and empathy often goes hand in hand. And those are two traits that we feel are extremely important to model to our children.