The amazing thing about giving is that it benefits both the giver and the receiver, and more often than not it feels better to give than to receive. While receiving a charitable donation or service is uplifting, nothing compares to the feeling you get when you know you've helped someone.
The greatest example of random kindness I've ever witnessed was done by my mother. It occurred during a difficult time for her; my father had cheated and she was trying to decide whether to leave or stick it out for the sake of me and my younger brother. I was only five at the time, but I remember well how reassuring she was for us during one of her life's biggest obstacles.
As we were driving through McDonald's for lunch one day, with me and my brother in the backseat, we noticed a homeless man and his dog sitting on a grassy knoll beside the parking lot of the opposite street. While my brother and I were busy annoying each other, she couldn't keep her eyes off him. After we got our order and she handed us our happy meals, my mom made no hesitation in maneuvering her way across the busy street to park next to the man. She told us to stay in the car as she stepped out to talk to him. We were parked very close and I remember watching his little Jack Russell thinking, how is there enough to feed him and his friend?
I couldn't hear exactly what they were saying, but I could tell by body language he was refusing to accept money from her. I knew she didn't have much cash since we had left home for a few days, but she was offering it to him anyway. It was right then, at that moment, that I learned what genuine kindness was. So when he didn't accept what little she had in her purse, I watched her pause for a moment. It was only a moment before she whipped out a card. After a few words back and forth, she left the man smiling and petting his dog.
I learned later that the card she gave him was for a priest. It wasn't just any priest but the man who had helped her during the recent death of the man she loved most, her stepfather. It was obvious, even at a young age, how much it must have meant for her to have been helped by the priest and be able pass on that help in return. That small gift of hope she was able to provide showed me there are no limits in this world for compassion, even during times of hardship. Today, volunteering means more to me than helping others for the sake of kindness but also for setting the example that love can exist in even the most unlikely of circumstances.