A Kid Name Phillip

For those that I talk to on a regular know that I talk a lot about how we have to do a better job of serving humanity, which allows us to see the God in each other.  As a part of that I AM personally big on random acts of kindness.  Now before you read any further this is not to toot my own horn, but more to set the bar for others to emulate.  Based upon Facebook alone I got over 2000people who call me friend and probably close to that many on Twitter who are “FOLLOWING” me.

On yesterday I had the pleasure of celebrating my goddaughter’s 7^th birthday with her classmates at Ruth Upson Elementary School and met one of her classmates.  A nice enough kid for a 1^st grader, but what immediately caught my eye was his kicks.  Not because they were the latest Jordan’s or anything like that, but because of the gaping hole in the front of them that said to me I need some shoes.  Now of all the things my work has afforded me to learn was a few things about the psychosis of a family that is struggling economically and with that sometimes the ability to buy new shoes or clothes gets passed because it’s just not enough money to go around.  Therefore, JEA, food and transportation supersede one’s ability to buy something as vital as a decent pair of shoes.  Given what my eyes were telling me I made the decision to go and get my man a pair of fresh new kicks and “socks” for him to have.  The look on his face was one of pure pleasure as he got a new pair of shoes from what amounts to being a total stranger.  Not only was his look a Kodak moment, but so was the look of the people in the office who only know me as Tori’s relative who comes from time to time to the school to have lunch with her.

I said all that to get to this.  I will blow what I paid for shoes and socks for a 1^st grader in a night at the local watering hole and don’t or won’t get nearly the personal satisfaction I did by giving that kid those shoes.  I don’t know him or his family personally, nor does he live in the area of town I do most of my work and I probably won’t see him again as the school year comes to an end.  He didn’t have a sign that read “Will Work for Shoes” nor did he give some lame excuse about how he was just trying to get a couple of dollars to buy him some shoes, not that any of those things are any less legitimate, but what I do know is that he allowed me to make a deposit in the Bank of Life and for that I AM personally grateful.   

Hopefully by reading this you feel encouraged to do the same for some random kid or person.  Who knows when you personally may need to make a withdrawal from the Bank of Life.

That’s My Story and I AM Sticking to It…

I AM

Irvin PeDro Cohen