An article by Chelsea Bailey, which was posted on bbc.com, featured Hody Childress, a life-long resident of the small rural community of Geraldine, Alabama. Mr. Childress was known as a humble man, “who would often send handwritten get-well cards and share vegetables from his garden with neighbors.” One day, when he was in the town drugstore, he asked Brook Walker, the pharmacist, if she ever had anyone who couldn’t afford their medication. She told him that it happened quite a bit. Then Mr. Childress handed her a folded $100 bill and said, “Next time that happens, will you use this? Don’t tell where it came from, and don’t tell me who needed it, just say it’s a blessing from the Lord.” Ms. Walker thought this would be a one-time kindness, but, “It continued every single month for almost 10 years (until Mr. Childress died),” she said. “I never saw it lasting this long and he always said, ‘Keep this between us.'”

The legacy continues. After Mr. Childress passed away, the story about his altruism somehow got out and was reported in the Washington Post. Ms. Walker immediately began receiving calls from across the US from people wanting to help keep the fund going. Mr. Childress set a wonderful example that others wanted to follow—people really do care!

One Sentence Wisdom

• Sometimes it takes only one act of kindness and caring to change a person’s life.” — Jackie Chan
• “What wisdom can you find that is greater than kindness?” — Jean-Jacques Rousseau

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