Image is mine.
When I was much younger, there was a particular family in my neighborhood that was knee deep in financial crisis, being a small town, virtually everyone knew that the man of the house had lost his job and they were practically feeding from hand to mouth. Little cash gifts and food items were given to them from time to time to ensure that they had something to sustain them, at least for a certain period of time.
I was friends with one of their younger kids who was also my schoolmate. We had just finished our junior secondary school examinations and were awaiting the results that would qualify us for senior secondary school, eventually, the results were released and we both passed in flying colors. As the date of resumption drew closer, I started noticing the strain and worry visibly evident on my friend's face, I knew she was troubled because of the situation of things at home and thinking hard about where the bulk money for her tuition fees would come from.
A day to resumption, I went to her house to inquire if she'll be resuming the next day but she said no, being fully aware of the reason why, I didn't ask but offered words of encouragement and assuring her all will be well before I left to finish my arrangements for school.
Being in a boarding school, I couldn't check on her and when the two weeks ultimatum given to people who couldn't make it on resumption day expired and she still hadn't resumed, I became apprehensive because I knew things had taken a turn for the worst. A few weeks into the term, we were given a mid-term break, I got home and raced to her house almost immediately, I was shaken to my marrow to hear that there was literally no hope of her or her younger sister returning to school as all efforts by her parents to raise the money for their fees had proved abortive. I could do little to offer her comfort and I went back home highly dejected.
My friend was what I'd like to describe as a star student and soon, every staff she had crossed paths with soon noticed her absence from school, enquires were made and it was found out that she couldn't resume due to the family's lack of finances. Few of the staffs started giving out little contributions they could proffer and the school chapel was asked to put her and her family in prayers. One particular staff (who happens to be late now) , went to his church, presented the matter and obtained their contributions for the family. Before the term was over, all the contributions were gathered and given to the family who received it with utmost gratitude. The money recovered wasn't enough to cover their education bills but it was definitely a shove in the right direction.
All our prayers were finally answered when a particularly buoyant neighbor of theirs had noticed that the last two children of this family weren't going to school and he came to inquire why. They related their case to him and immediately, he gave them more than enough money for my friend to resume school. For the younger one who had stayed out of school for over a year and was denied a transfer certificate and books to study for a scholarship exam due to the fact that she was owing tuition fees before she was eventually sent home for good, he helped enroll her in a new school where the proprietor was his bosom friend and went on to pay her fees for a certain period of time. During the time he did all this, he and his family were to travel to their home town for the holidays but he made them all forfeit it to make sure that he could give this family the boost they needed. It's safe to say that he actively restored their hope and the will to push further even harder.
https://www.meta.ai/
Looking back at this incident each time, it gives me a little assurance that good people are still out there even if people in the world today are seemingly unfavorable with each other. I honestly believe that kindness and wickedness is but a choice, you can either choose to be the cause of someone's pain, act oblivious to it or be the one who restores their joy. However you wish to tread is all on you.
Wes & Grindan
