One Voice

Have you ever watched someone perform and their nerves got the best of them? Have you watched someone sing in front of hundreds of people and forget their words? I have and I learned a valuable lesson. As I watched a beautiful young woman sing a well-known Christmas melody, she forgot the words and stopped singing. As fear and embarrassment spread across her face... one man in the audience courageously began singing the words for her. Tears ran down my cheeks as I silently thanked the man... and wished I was the one brave enough do to the same.

Pancakes for Charity

The rolling cart was filled with freshly cooked pancakes, syrup, plates and utensils. My goal was to sell pancakes for charity. As I walked down the hall, a man passed by that caught my attention. He was dirty, weary, bent over and he looked as if the weight of the world was on his shoulders. "Pancakes, two for $1," I said. "No thanks," was his reply. "For charity?" He then stopped and pulled out his wallet and handed me a dollar. I placed two pancakes on a plate, then added four more. I topped it off with syrup and handed the plate to him with a gentle smile. As our eyes met, tears in mine, he said only two words, "Merry Christmas." I wish that weary man knew that his $1 for charity, despite his circumstances, allowed me to hear more than his two words... my heart heard thousands.