Kindness- A Little Can Be A Lot

• Samara De Silva, Grade 8
• Short Story
• 2009

It was Christmas time and we were travelling in a van distributing toys to all the homeless.

Peering through the rusty window I saw a bundle of rags on the side of the road. It was barely visible in the pile of debris; I turned away without a second glance. When the vehicle approached the spot though, something caught my eye. Something or someone was moving in the rubbish; slowly I realised that what I was looking at was the home of a poor family. There were two children; a girl and a boy, both about my age at the time, and a lady I presumed to be their mother. They sat there helplessly and their eyes investigated yet another passing vehicle.

As a little girl myself I was especially interested with the girl on the other side of the window and fascinated at how different our lives were. She lived for the day; searching through the unwanted scraps in the rubbish for something edible to fill her stomach. I on the other hand was well looked after and never had to worry about sacristy of food, I had a good education and always planned for the future. I looked at the little girl; the only possession she had was the worn out dress that she was wearing.

Seeing this little girl I made the decision to give away a doll that had belonged to me for a while. It was the only thing I had been dreading to be parted with. When the van came to a stop I stepped out, called the girl over and placed the doll in her hand. At first she looked at me with surprise and wasn’t certain what to do but then she grinned and I saw hope in her eyes. I went back into the vehicle and we started to drive off, that’s when we realised the little girl was running behind. We slowed down once more and came to a halt. We opened the door to see the girl had caught up with us. She looked directly at me and said two simple words “Thank You”.

Living in Sri Lanka, where a vast number of the population lived in poverty on the streets, I have had many other experiences with unprivileged children. The margins between high and low society were huge. My family was one of the few that fell in to the middle class category and lived a privileged and comfortable life. My parents, especially my mother set a good example to me by giving away selflessly to those in need. Her example influenced my values in life.

This memory is special to me because it has been the stem of two of my strongest beliefs. I believe that people around you are constantly influencing your choices and that parents are important role models. I believe with a little kindness you can bring hope to some one’s life. Sometimes a little is a lot.