I don’t consider myself any different from others with a limited income. I live month-to-month and check-to-check. My oil and propane tanks are empty. I’m behind in my car payment and other bills. I am fortunate enough to buy one present each Christmas for a niece who still believes. I do, however, continue to do one thing that I have done for many years, and that is pay it forward.

Each month when I get my check, I treat myself to a muffin at a local drive-through. When I pay at the window, I have always paid for the order of the person behind me. It might be just a simple coffee and doughnut or some other wake-up perk the person needs, but I know that no matter what kind of day he or she is having, they will have a brief moment of forgetting everything else and know that there is still good in people. I feel blessed with what I have that I am still able to bless someone else, if even only for a moment and a couple of bucks.

I got to experience the receiving side of this the other day at a department store I was in. As I was cashing out, I found myself a few dollars short for my groceries and was having the cashier remove a couple of items when the woman behind me insisted that she be able to complete my purchase for me. She said it was only a couple of bucks and for me to consider it a Christmas gift.

Thanks to this wonderful woman, I was able to have the feeling that once a month I try to get others to feel. There are still good people. It can be a neighbor, relative, the person behind us in line, the driver in front of us at the drive-through or toll booth. The best part of all is we can be that person. We can change someone’s day completely simply with a smile or a couple of bucks, but we shouldn’t do this for just Christmas or for personal recognition. We should do it because we want to, and want to do it all year long.

Randy NewcombeRandolph