Writer/Editor’s Note: As Word ’Round Town begins gathering community nominations, this special opening feature is a story inspired by the quiet acts of kindness happening every day. The name and details are intentionally left open.
The One Who Stayed Behind
Sometimes the greatest difference is made by the person who never asks anyone to notice.
By the time the community supper was ending, most people had already begun heading home.
The children had gathered their coats. The last cups of coffee were being emptied. Folding chairs scraped across the floor as volunteers worked to return the room to the way they had found it.
Near the doorway stood a woman holding a small paper bag of leftovers.
She had arrived alone that evening and had spoken very little. She smiled when spoken to, thanked the volunteers for the meal, and quietly watched the activity around her.
She could have walked out the door with everyone else.
Instead, she set down her bag, rolled up her sleeves, and began clearing tables.
No one had asked her.
She stacked plates, wiped crumbs from the tablecloths, carried garbage to the kitchen, and helped an older volunteer lift a container that was much too heavy for one person.
When someone told her she did not need to help, she simply smiled.
“I know,” she said. “But many hands make the work lighter.”
A few minutes later, she noticed a mother struggling to gather three tired children and several winter coats. Without drawing attention to herself, the woman knelt beside the youngest child, helped zip his coat, and carried a bag to the family’s car.
Then she came back inside.
There were still dishes to wash.
What no one in the room knew was that she had been having a difficult week herself. She had worries waiting at home. Her own heart was carrying more than anyone could see.
Yet, for that little while, she chose to carry something for somebody else.
No award was presented.
Her name was not announced over a microphone, and she never told anyone what she had done.
She simply stayed until the work was finished.
Before leaving, she picked up her small bag of leftovers and quietly stepped out into the cold evening.
The room was cleaner because she had been there.
The volunteers were less tired because she had been there.
A mother’s burden had been made lighter because she had been there.
And although most people may never know her name, kindness had left its fingerprints throughout the entire room.
That is what it means to go above and beyond.
Not every hero stands before a crowd.
Sometimes a hero is simply the one who notices what needs to be done~ and stays behind to help.
Tag… You’re It!
This opening feature is dedicated to every quiet helper who gives without recognition, serves without being asked, and makes life a little easier for someone else.
There may be someone like this in your neighborhood, workplace, church, school, or community.
Someone whose kindness deserves to be seen.
Someone worth tagging.
Know someone who has gone above and beyond?
Word ’Round Town welcomes nominations for Tag… You’re It! Tell us about an everyday hero who has helped another person, strengthened the community, or changed someone’s life through a meaningful act of kindness.
Reach out with information to: wordroundtown@yahoo.com
Recognition is never guaranteed for publication, and permission will be requested before personal information or photographs are shared.
Copyright by: Deliverance Hope There’s Always Hope Publishing & Media LLC All Rights Reserved
Keep Goin’ ‘Round Town
There’s always another story waiting just around the corner.