I received this from my sister in law and thought it worth sharing.
You never know the impact of a kind act.
His name was Fleming, and he was a poor Scottish farmer. One day, while trying to make a living for his family, he heard a cry for help coming from a nearby bog. He dropped his tools and ran to the bog. There, mired to his waist in black muck, was a terrified boy, screaming and struggling to free himself. Farmer Fleming saved the lad from what could have been a slow and terrifying death.
The next day, a fancy carriage pulled up to the Scotsman’s sparse surroundings An elegantly dressed nobleman stepped out and introduced himself as the father of the boy Farmer Fleming had saved.
“I want to repay you,” said the nobleman. “You saved my son’s life.”
“No, I can’t accept payment for what I did,” the Scottish farmer replied waving off the offer. At that moment, the farmer’s own son came to the door of the family hovel.
“Is that your son?” the nobleman asked.
“Yes,” the farmer replied proudly.
“I’ll make you a deal. Let me provide him with the level of education my own son will enjoy. If the lad is anything like his father, he’ll no doubt grow to be a man we both will be proud of.” And that he did.
Farmer Fleming’s son attended the very best schools and in time, graduated from St. Mary’s Hospital Medical School in London, and went on to become known throughout the world as the noted Sir Alexander Fleming, the discoverer of Penicillin.
Years afterward, the same nobleman’s son who was saved from the bog was stricken with pneumonia.
What saved his life this time? Penicillin. The name of the nobleman? Lord Randolph Churchill. His son’s name? Sir Winston Churchill.
Someone once said: What goes around comes around.
June 20, 2007 at 3:49 am
What a wonderful and heart-warming story. People don’t realize just how powerful One Kind Act can be.
Blessings,
Matthew
June 20, 2007 at 2:25 pm
Thanks for commenting. You never know how God is going to use the little things we do.
July 7, 2007 at 8:26 pm
Fr. Dave, that was absolutely chilling! Thanks for sharing this. I love stories like this.
By the way, since you know me only as GoofyDawg (from CEC Worship), let me introduce myself: My name is Brendan Delumpa, and I’m a liturgical music minister at Saint Simon Catholic Parish in Los Altos, CA. I have a wonderful wife and eight beautiful kids, and I love to ROCK THE MASS!!!
July 8, 2007 at 12:34 am
Hey, It’s great to hear from you. Glad you liked the post. Rock on!
July 9, 2007 at 11:06 pm
Thought you’d like to know about another kind act that moved a stranger. Last night I was listening to a man share an experience he’d had recently. He’d had a rough day…he’d really lost his temper with someone and was smarting with anger from the experience. Fuming, he stopped at a local grocery store and, on his way out, was met by a couple of young girls who were selling baked goods to raise money so the youth group in their church could go to a concert. He had only five dollars left in his wallet (this was a man of very limited means) and planned to use that money to treat himself to a gourmet coffee that he felt he richly deserved. He brushed the girls off. But, on his way into the coffee shop he found himself reflecting on his behavior that day and he stopped, turned, and went back to the young girls he’d just seen. He gave them his last five dollars. Their enthusiastic gratitude touched him deeply. The girls thanked him so sincerely and then said, “God bless you!”…and He did.
July 16, 2007 at 1:14 am
well, I am speachless and to anyone that knows me, that doesn’t happen………Those girls were some of our youth group from st michael’s. That man really blessed us in an awesome way when he came back and told us about the coffee and the money. It is awesome to see that compassion and not guilt still rule. God bless him and those kids who’s seem to be touching lives left and right.