Have you ever felt really good after helping someone? Did they really appreciate the favor? Well I have experienced this many times. I believe that helping people is rewarding.
One time, my family and I were eating out with my relatives when my cousins and I decided it would be fun to have a sleepover at my grandparent’s house. Most of the time if we have a sleepover, Jody, my cousin who has Down syndrome, doesn’t get included. But, this time we asked the adults if it would be ok if she joined us. After some consideration, they told her that she could come. At that moment, her face lit up, she was so excited. I couldn’t help but smile. What may seem like a little thing to you can be huge to someone else. By including her I felt really good and that night we all ended up having a lot of fun.
Helping people also proved rewarding when I was giving out Christmas presents at church. I went with my grandparents and two sisters. It was our job to hold the boxes filled with toys for each individual who came though. As each person walked through you could tell who really cared and appreciated what you were doing. They were the ones who really took the time to think about what each of there kids would like. Knowing that someone would now have presents on Christmas morning because of us made me feel really good.
Finally another time, I walked into the cafeteria and saw Brittany, a girl with special needs who is in my gym class. She was eating all by herself and looked sad and lonely. So, I decided to sit by her. She was glad when I pulled up a chair. Over the course of the lunch time we chatted a little bit here and there, but when it was time to go, as I left, she had a big smile on her face and said, “See you in gym.” I was glad that by doing something small I could make her feel a lot better.
I believe that helping others gives you a positive feeling. In these experiences I have found that doing a favor for someone else can also help you. Even the smallest thing can have a big impact.