I passed them on the street and did not even look. I heard a mom call after her daughter as she ran down the road toward the intersection in front of us. I thought she was calling her to come back. Instead the small girl ran up to a car stopped at the red light and peeked into the window. Begging. It was then I noticed her dirty clothes and face. She was so small she could barely see into the window.
My heart broke. But I kept walking, too used to my heart breaking as I passed poor families on the streets of Albania. Another girl came behind the little one, a taller version of the first. She too was peeking into car windows pleading with ignoring drivers.
Then I remembered the orange. Tossed haphazardly in my backpack to have for a snack later. I started to dig into my bag looking for it. The older girl had her face pressed to another car window. I came up behind her and said hello. She didn’t hear me so I tapped on her shoulder. She turned around and I handed her the orange.
Big brown eyes met mine as her face lit up and she smiled, saying something I could not understand. As I walked away I saw her running back toward her mother and siblings, the orange raised in the air, she ran yelling with excitement.
Then my heart truly broke. An orange I had tossed in my bag for a snack made this girl so proud. She ran back to her mother with joy knowing she had done her part to feed her family. Rejoicing as if she had won a price for playing a fun game. I stood at the intersection tears clouding my eyes as I realized the impact of one small orange in that girl’s day.
I wish I had more to give her. I wish I could do more. Was she a Roma? Does she ever go to school? Does she have a place to call home?
I wanted to be angry. At myself for always walking past. At a mother who asked her small children to beg. At a society that divides classes in a way that causes mothers and children to beg for money on the side of the road.
But instead I remember that I can always do something. I can always give out oranges and smiles and love. Stopping just for a moment on the side of the road can let a little girl know she is loved and thought about and valued.
“We can do no great things – only small things with great love.” -Mother Teresa
Sometimes I feel like since I cannot really do much to change someone’s situation that I cannot do anything. This is simply not true. One small act of love is sometimes the greatest gift we can give.
What can you do today to make someone feel loved and valued?
