A child’s act of kindness

I’d like to relate to you something that happened to me and my family at the Rotary Fall Fair today, Sept. 28, as I think it should be shared with your readers.

I regularly attend this great community event and enjoy chatting with friends and colleagues. This was the first year I attended with my young son. At 14 months, he is a little young for most of the games, but he was having fun watching all of the activity around him.

One game we figured he could play was the Lollipop Pull. He would enjoy looking at the colourful candy and pulling one out, and since he’s too young for sweets, his dad or mom would enjoy the lollipop.

We purchased a ticket and patiently stood in line. It was then that something happened that I will never forget for as long as I live.

A young boy, about 10 or 11 by my guess, was standing behind us in the line. He was holding a large plastic bag of prizes, and around his neck sat a large stuffed animal he had won at another game.

My son was in my arms, staring at people behind us in line and at the buzz around us. It was then I felt a very gently poke in the arm, and my son reached for something behind me.

I turned to see the young boy behind us holding up a small stuffed penguin he had won earlier, offering it to my son. My son stared intently at the gift and accepted it with a big smile. He clearly liked his new toy.

A little dumbfounded, my wife and I thanked the young boy for his generosity, and told him he didn’t need to give away one of his prizes.

His response left me absolutely speechless. He said:

“I’ve got a lot, so I am sharing them”

I’m ashamed to say I was so awestruck by this simple act of kindness that I do not remember this young man’s name. I hope he or his family reads this and knows what a fantastic act of generosity it was and how grateful we are for it.

You certainly made our day. My son played with his gift all evening until we put him to bed. He is grateful as well.

Today it seems many of us focus on the bad things in life, and get caught up in negativity. I have never been a Rotarian, but know that their motto is “Service Above Self.”

This young man embodied that motto perfectly today. It may not have been a big deal to him, or in the grand scheme of things, but watching my son play with that toy this evening, it meant the world to him and to us.

Mark Morrissey
Iqaluit

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