Once when I was a teenager, my father and I were standing in line to buy tickets for the circus. Finally, there was only one family between the ticket office and us. This family made a big impression on me.
There were eight children, all probably under the age of 12. You could tell they didn't have a lot of money.Their clothes were not expensive, but they were clean.The children talked excitedly about the clowns. It was clearly a very important day out for them. The father and mother seemed happy as they could be.
The tickets lady asked how many tickets the father wanted, he proudly answered," Please let me buy eight children's tickets and two adults' tickets, so I can take my family to the circus."
The ticket lady told him the price.
The man's wife lowered her head. There was no longer a smile on the man's face. He quietly asked," How much did you say?"
The ticket lady again told him the price.
The man obviously didn't have enough money. But how could he tell his kids the bad news?
Seeing what was happening, my dad took a $20 note from his pocket and dropped in on the ground. (We were not rich ourselves at all!) He then tapped the man on the shoulder and said," Excuse me, sir, you dropped this."
The man understood my father was helping him. He picked up the money, looked straight into my dad's eyes, and in tears replied." Thank you. This really means a lot to me and my family."
Although we did not go to the circus that night, we didn't go without.
