Talking to friends this week, one happened to casually mention that they had just spent the weekend stocking up on school clothes for his son, *Jackson*, for his freshman year of high school.
“My wife already wants to start the consolidation process,” he told us. “But I don’t know if I’m ready to let go of all of his childhood toys yet. I mean it isn’t like he’s leaving for college tomorrow.”
As he continued to tell us about his son’s sentimental action figures and endless bins of sports gear and outgrown clothes, it astounded me more than it should have to hear one of my friends ask him if he remembers that one time when he completely changed the lives of ten other Jacksons.
My friend was clearly confused until my sweet coworker told him, “You may not today, but you’ll remember a few years from now when you remember the day you let them love and grow with Jackson’s things just like he did. Donating might be one of best things that you will ever do.”
This encounter stopped us all in our tracks, and it really made me reflect on how infrequently we truly consider the power of 1.
1 shirt donated means one less child who doesn’t have a shirt without holes.
1 baseball bat donated means one less neighborhood where the children don’t build camaraderie or discover a hidden talent.
1 pair of shoes donated means one less child ashamed to wear shoes with holes to school.
$1 donated ensures that funds can be provided to help provide our neighbors with assistance paying utilities, putting food on the table, and helping them have their basic necessities.
1 hour donated to volunteer means the chance for others to encounter a friendly interaction and a smile that they may need to help them get through their day.
Letting go is hard. Accepting change is hard. And it’s hard to know how significant our mementos and time will be when it feels like there is little to give.
You are not insignificant. You DO make all the difference in the world, and you have the power to give a helping hand no matter how big or small.
How can you change one life today?
-Alanna Payne
