Several years ago, a man was walking by one of the many skyscrapers in New York City when he happened to see a blind teenage boy sitting on the steps with a cup in his hands and a homemade sign in front of him. The sign simply read, I’m blind. Please help.
The man took out a few coins from his pocket and dropped them into the cup, which he notice had only a few coins. He then took the sign, turned it around and wrote something on it. He put the sign back so that everyone walking by would see the new words.
Soon the boy’s cup began to fill up as a lot more people started giving money to him. Later that afternoon the man who had changed the sign came back to see how things were going. The boy recognized his footsteps and asked, “Are you the one who changed my sign this morning? What did you write?” The man said, “I only wrote the truth. I said what you said but in a different way. I wrote: Today is a beautiful day—but I can’t see it.”
Both signs told everyone that the boy was blind. But the first sign simply said that he was blind. The second sign told everyone that they were so blessed to be able to see. Is it really surprising that the second sign was more effective?
The moral of the story is this:
Remember, one of the most beautiful things you can see in this life is another human being smiling with joy. And what’s even more beautiful is knowing that you are the one who gave them that smile!
Happy Thanksgiving to all!