Ethics and "PIF"

The idea of paying it forward recently came up for discussion on my college Ethics class's Blackboard. Many of my fellow classmates were familiar with the premise of paying forward good deeds they had been the recipients of and I wanted to share my small story with you. Years ago, I was a struggling mother of three and my husband had arbitrarily quit his job six weeks before Christmas. We did not qualify for any county assistance because his income had already exceeded the limits for the month. I was frantic and had no idea where our next meal was going to come from, never mind how I was going to provide a Christmas for my kids. One of the nuns at my church found me crying in the corner after a meeting and pried out of me the situation. She immediately took me to the rectory kitchen and filled up three bags with food for the five of us. She also directed me to one of the local food pantries where I was able to acquire more food and non-perishables. I was unaware that she also submitted our names to one of the local corporations who sponsored needy families at Christmas. Imagine my shock and surprise when, two days before Christmas, I got a call from one of the employees asking if they could come over with a "few" donations for my kids. When she and two co-workers arrived, they were laden with gifts for each of the children and for myself and my husband! There were toys, clothes, warm coats for all and even an autographed football for my six-year-old son from Buffalo Bills quarterback, Jim Kelly (20 years later it's sitting on his dresser). The little tree we had was almost completely dwarfed, and on Christmas morning, the awe and joy in my childrens' eyes was overwhelming. The next year, I was shopping at one of the local department stores during the holidays when I spied a tree with paper ornaments on it and a notice asking shoppers to choose a child's name off the tree and purchase gifts for them as they were underprivileged. I chose one name that year, but the following year, I picked two. When each of my kids was old enough to understand the concept, we would visit the tree and they would choose their own child to give presents to. They even gave up presents from their own Christmas lists to give to "their" person. I've continued that tradition for several years, in recent years, doing it alone. My kids are grown and their lists are relatively short. It gives me pleasure and a feeling of satisfaction to shop for young children again, especially when I know they are so thankful for everything they will receive. The Pay It Forward movement and your organization are wonderful examples of just how generous and caring mankind can be. We should all strive to exemplify the ideals you illustrate in the stories posted. Alain New York