Saturday, May 05, 2018

Pay it Forward

 
Each act of kindness has a ripple effect throughout society and can affect people who we do not even know.


Early start on a beautiful Saturday. Larry with Dad and David.

I once heard that to do good must be a vocation of every person. When my husband and I decided to get married at Jakarta, Indonesia without any family members around, we relied on the grace of having good friends who helped us with everything we needed. The same thing was true during the processing of my papers coming here. Hence, when the time came for us to be able to do something for a friend, we knew we got to do it.

I met Larry, our neighbor, when I was in Indonesia talking to my husband through video call. He was still strong and working then. Unfortunately, it didn’t last for long. He was only in late 30’s yet he was inflicted with illnesses including diabetes. At this age and already on a wheelchair, my husband and I knew that it is undoubtedly hard and painful for him. Yet, he stayed strong and tried to fend for himself without asking anyone for help.

The house before painting it.

So, David and I decided on painting his house for him. My husband would come from whole day of work and continued to work on his house power washing and caulking. At some point, I needed to remind him that it was already 9:00 p.m. and he was still out working. Finally, the house was ready to be painted. Last night, we were off on our regular Friday date night buying the paint for his house.

We’re so thankful for Dad who drove all the way here to help, our neighbor also bought wood to cover some bad area, and Alex came as well to help in painting. Above all, I am so proud of my husband who worked tirelessly on this project. I am blessed to marry someone who would stop at a stranger to buy him some food, or jumped out of the car to help push another person’s car.

The look of happiness on Larry’s face made me believe how the good nature of people can bring so much joy to others. The collective effort of small group of people created so much change through act of kindness.

Larry, our neighbor, looking at the newly painted house.

Fresh coat of paint to the whole exterior.

To all the people who did something good for us, we are paying it forward. Kindness is free, spread it.

Update:
Unknowingly, the day we painted his house was actually his birthday. Sometimes, things work in mysterious ways and it will be done through YOU.

21 comments:

  1. I love stories like this. Makes me believe that there is kindness in the world after all. Thank you for sharing!

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  2. I love the concept of paying kindness forward. It is lovely that you are doing your bit to repay the kindness people have bestowed on you in the past ;)

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  3. A change starts by yourself. You are really making a change for other people. Thanks for sharing and being a good person:)

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  4. Wow the house looks fantastic, what a lovely thing to do for someone for sure. Definitely something that people should try to do, even small acts of paying it forward can really change someones day!

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  5. Such a beautiful story, proof that acts of kindness still exists! Doing one kind thing per day could change a lot

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    1. That is true, and sometimes doing it spontaneously makes the result more fantastic. We need to spread this good deeds for everyone to get inspired to do the same.

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  6. That's so great that you were able to reach out to a person in need and do something for them. I am sure he really appreciated you being able to do that. And hopefully he can repay the kindness in some other way.

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  7. You really are good people! May god bless you and your family indefinitely! If we only helped each other a little, the world would be so much better! Thanks for sharing this post and inspiring others to do good.

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  8. Love this story. Kindness pays for everybody, even if it does take time to feel that way sometimes. The house looks great.

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  9. Great paint job. Lovely color. Paint makes a real difference.

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  10. Great job you proved that kindness still exists in this world

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  11. There is nothing more beautiful than kind souls.Paying it forward also help other realise it is never to late to get involved and help those in need. Never.

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  12. The house looks wonderful. It is so nice that your husband has such a kind heart.

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  13. Paying it forward is always a good idea! What a tremendous thing you all did for Larry and I'm sure it warmed his heart to see. There is a lot of good left in this world I just wish more people would be willing to help.

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  14. Joyce OsiangoApril 13, 2019

    The house is amazing, blessed are those who show the heart of kindness. I wish more human would have the same sense of kindness.

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  15. Fresh coat of paint made a huge difference! What an awesome thing to do for a friend!

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  16. I think this life approach is fantastic! It is a great idea. And the house looks so beautiful now, I bet he is super happy!

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  17. Kindness is free and creates a positive ripple effect so I always try to be kind to everyone I can

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  18. The house is beautiful! Paying it forward is such a great act of kindness. What a great friend!

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  19. I love stories like this because it restores our faith in humanity, knowing there are still good people in the world.

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  20. What a wonderful, thoughtful gift! Giving of ourselves and our time is so important to others.

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