A Gift for Two
 
       It was a beautiful day for sightseeing around downtown   Portland.  We were a bunch of counselors on our day off,   away from the campers, just out for some fun.  The weather   was perfect for a picnic, so when lunch time came, we set   our sights on a small park in town.  Since we all had  different cravings, we decided to split up, get what each of   us wanted, and meet back on the grass in a few minutes.
       When my friend Robby headed for a hot dog stand, I   decided to keep her company. We watched the vendor put   together the perfect hot dog, just the way Robby wanted it.    But when she took out her money to pay him, the man   surprised us.
       "It looks a little on the cool side," he said, "so   never mind paying me.  This will be my freebie of the day."
       We said our thanks, joined our friends in the park, and   dug into our food.  But as we talked and ate, I was   distracted by a man sitting alone nearby, looking at us.  I
  could tell that he hadn't showered for days. Another   homeless person, I thought, like all the others you see in   cities.  I didn't pay much more attention than that.
       We finished eating and decided to head off for more   sightseeing. But when Robby and I went to the garbage can   to throw away my lunch bag, I heard a strong voice ask,
  "There isn't any food in the bag, is there?"
       It was the man who had been watching us.  I didn't know   what to say. "No, I ate it already."
       "Oh," was his only answer, with no shame in his voice   at all.  He was obviously hungry, couldn't bear to see   anything thrown away, and was used to asking this question.
       I felt bad for the man, but I didn't know what I could  do.  That's when Robby said, "I'll be right back.  Please  wait for me for a minute," and ran off.  I watched curiously
  as she went across to the hot dog stand.  Then I realized   what she was doing.  She bought a hot dog, crossed back to   the trash can, and gave the hungry man the food.
       When she came back to us, Robby said simply, "I was   just passing on the kindness that someone gave to me."
       That day I learned how generosity can go farther than   the person you give to.  By giving, you teach others how to  give also.
 
     By Andrea Hensley
    from Chicken Soup for the Teenage Soul
  Copyright 1997 by Jack Canfield, Mark Victor Hansen and
  Kimberly Kirberger