A wise man and a man whom I envy so much once told me. " it is more blessed to give than to receive ".
He also told me, " give and forget about what the receiver uses the money for".
Those words have been my watch word for giving. I'm from a family who prioritizes giving as one of the biggest legacies in the family.
It was a Christmas morning, Friday the 25th of December 2020. I and a group of friends had already planned that we were gonna assemble at a friend's place, who is also a member of our clique.
Her house is quite a distance from mine, so I decided to head out early in the morning. It showered a little that morning so it caused a little bit of traffic on the road.
I boarded a bus, and after a while got to my bus stop. I alighted the bus and on my way, I saw a young man dressed inappropriately, with tattered clothes, brown teeth, his breath stank of alcohol. I knew this kind of men. We call them "agbero" here in Nigeria, which means Tout.
He came closer to me and began hailing me in a bid to extort money from me. I just laughed and I said to myself, "Its Christmas, I should make someone smile". I brought out the first note my hand touched in my pocket, it was a 100 naira note, and I gave it to him. He was excited and the hailing continued. I just laughed and went on my own.
I got to the bus park where I would sit in the bus and wait until the bus is filled with passengers before we move. I was in the bus waiting when I saw that same guy whom I gave money to, purchasing another bottle of dry gin with a 100 naira note. I wasn't sure it was the same one I gave to him but, there was every odd that it was that same one.
Our eyes jammed and then he became ashamed and his countenance changed. I just smiled and got down from the bus and gave him another 100 naira note, I said to him, " now use this one to buy something better".
I could see his eyes, the emotions welled up inside. He didn't know what to say. He was way older than me but it felt like he should just shower all the thanks on me but it wasn't needed. I just needed him to know that someone out there cares for him.
That day I felt joy in me and he also felt loved. Throughout the time I was waiting for the bus to get filled up, I could see him just deep in thoughts. He probably hasn't experienced that kind of thing before.
Love is lacking in this world. Be a channel of love.
