Meet Amy Joe. For the last few weeks each Tuesday, Amy Joe and I meet at the corner of Pine Street and S. Orange Ave in downtown Orlando. (I work downtown and am always moving around the city.)
Each day for about a week, I get asked for money quite often but never once from Amy Joe. I saw Amy Joe at this corner and she never asked for money. She simply said, ‘Good morning, sir. Have a great day. God Bless!’ And smiled. I wear a suit to work everyday, so I get asked for money quite often but never once from Amy Joe. Every Tuesday, Amy Joe and I now have lunch together. For 30 minutes to an hour, I get to hear how positive she is, even though she really has nothing.
Last week, Amy Joe kind of dropped a bomb on me. She cannot read. She does not smoke, drink, have a drug addiction, or anything of that nature. She simply has never had anyone teach her how to read. She told me how hard it was for her to find work not being able to read. She then told me that any money she collects goes toward books that help with learning to read instead of buying food. This crushed me. She would rather learn to read to maybe find a job than eat.
I have been blessed with two amazing parents and a family that has always had resources to provide me with anything I wanted to do. Amy Joe has not. So now not only do Amy Joe and I sit and have lunch, I’m teaching her to read. I rent one library book a week and we read it together on Tuesday and she practices on her own throughout the rest of the week. This post is in no way to make anyone feel sorry for Amy Joe or brag about me doing something for someone less fortunate. I wanted to share this because maybe this can lead to someone helping another person.
There are a lot of people out there like Amy Joe – not all are hungry, homeless, or hurt. Some could be your family or friends. Helping someone could be as easy as saying hello and smiling. I have been fortunate enough in my finances that I can take care of Amy Joe, so that’s what I’m going to do. You never know what you can do for someone until you try. Who is your Amy Joe?” (via Greg Smith/Facebook)
