Pay it Forward

Monday afternoon, Joes first day off in 7 days, we decided to go check our PMB (postal mailbox) at the UPS Store. A few days prior, I had received a myspace message from an old friend since High School. He said that he had just returned from a business trip to Germany had had some postcards and needed my address to send me one, so without a second thought, I provided the address and quickly forgot all about it. So when we checked the mail, I was surprised when Joe handed me a simple letter-sized envelope from this friend instead of a postcard, but thought, maybe there will be postcards inside. So I quickly open the envelope and am looking for postcards, but only find a type written letter and a check. I turn over the check, and it is a $4,000 check issued to me. I quickly tell Joe what I have found, and he wants to look at it (assuming I misread it), but it was in fact real, so I quickly began reading the letter.

It turns out that this friend’s employer had made a bank error in his favor, and when he brought it to their attention, they told him just to keep it. He did not feel that he had earned this money, so he decided that he would much rather give it to someone who really needs it.

He says he thought back to about 3 years ago when we had been talking, and had come to the conclusion that I could really use some money to improve my quality of life. At the time he was penniless and unemployed, but he said to me, “If I had the money, I would give it to you.” (and that had stuck with him), and he instantly thought of me. Though he knows that I am in a different place in life, he and he knows that money is always still something that a person can use to better their life, or pay some bills, and sent me this money from heaven.

I sobbed as I read this letter. My heart was filled with relief. Each day I have just been praying that soon something good would happen, to help us be able to breathe a little easier, to make the rent, to be able to buy food, and keep gas in our car. I told Joe amidst the tears, “this can solve so many of our problems”.

In the letter, my friend told me that he did not expect or desire any gratitude for this gift, but only that he would like me to some day “Pay it Forward”, and help someone else in need. He also recommended had I not seen the movie Pay it Forward, that I might want to, as he believes it carries a powerful message.

So I was just shocked and awestruck for the remainder of the day, not even being able to fathom such selfless kindness. I had forgotten that it existed. Over time, a lot of my faith has floundered, and it was such a good remembrance that there is still a need to love and care for your fellow men.