Giving

I am way behind on posting this story.
This happened probably about a month or so ago and I've been meaning to post about it since then. At work, we were working on a project that had one of our guys in China working with a manufacturer and as such, on a completely different time schedule from the rest of us. I found out when I was on my way out the door to go to class that there were some files that he needed sent to him right away. The files had to be converted to a different file format as they don't have the same software in China as we do. All in all it was only about an hour's worth of work but I had to get to class and couldn't stay to finish it. Unfortunately, no one else was able to do it so my boss asked if I could come back later that evening and complete the task. I agreed before I even realized that I would be in class until 8:00 PM that night and probably not back to work until almost 8:30. Upon leaving the crumminess of the whole situation hit me and frustration set in by the time I had gotten out of class. I was grouchy and tired and just grumpy with the whole situation.On the way back to work, I stopped at a 7-Eleven for a drink. When I walked in there were two little girls in front of the counter who must have been eight or nine years old. The two of them were talking about a bag of Cheetos that they were wanting to buy, hoping that they had enough money to get it. When they asked the cashier how much it was both of their little heads sunk in disappointment and I, being the super-rich guy that I am offered to buy the snack for the girls. Both of them lit up and they excitedly talked while I payed for my things and theirs. As I was paying I heard one girl say to the other, "He's nice!" This comment alone would have been more than a sufficient thank you for the whole $1.69 I was spending on them but that wasn't the end of it. When I finished paying, I handed the bag of Cheetos to the girls and told them to have a good night. As I turned to leave I was asked to wait, they had something for me. One of the girls held out her hand making a bowl and told me to do as she had done. I held out my hand and she pulled a small felt bag out of her pocket, emptying the contents into my hand, "We wanted to give you this." The girls ran out of the convenience store and I was left with 79 cents in pennies and a feeling of really having accomplished something. It was such a tiny little thing for me but it clearly made a huge impact on the girls' night and their gratitude made a huge impact on mine.