Pay It Forward - A Touching True Story of Strife and Heartfelt Giving

I thought this true pay it forward story is worthwhile telling.

A man I know, who would prefer to remain anonymous, so we'll call him Mathew, who lives in the US, has a longtime friend in South Africa who has been a member of a particular golf club in South Africa for over 30 years.  This friend emails the golf club's monthly newsletter to Mathew as a matter of interest and discussion between the two of them.

One month there was a story in the newsletter that touched Mathew. 

It was about a young woman who had often been seen sitting in her parked car at the club.  No one had taken much notice of her apart from registering that she was there and were shocked to learn one morning that she had been found dead in her car. She had committed suicide.  During the police investigation it was revealed that the woman had suffered great financial strife and had left a child to be taken care of by an aging grandmother of 86, who, herself, appeared to be destitute.  

The reason this story touched Mathew was because he, himself, was experiencing severe financial strife so he understood how hopeless one can feel and his thoughts lingered with the poor 86 year old woman who had not only lost her daughter but who now had a grandchild to take care of.  

Some months went by and then Mathew got a chance to do something for someone else who was also under financial pressure but whom he felt was worse off than himself.  He received an email from his nephew who lived in South Africa but was visiting England on vacation.  His nephew wanted to know if Mathew would purchase a gospel CD that could only be found in the US and send it to him in the UK to take back to his secretary, in South Africa, who had requested it.  He said he would reimburse Mathew the cost of the CD and the shipping which came to $54.

Mathew told his nephew that he would be happy to help him obtain the CD but asked that instead of reimbursing him for these costs, if his nephew would, on his return to South Africa, kindly seek the address of the 86 year old grandmother and send her the money.

When Mathew's nephew heard the story, he got his secretary to find out where the grandmother lived and he not only sent the grandmother the $54 that he owed Mathew but added to it in the amount of R5,000 which at that time, was the equivalent of $714. 

The secretary was tenacious in her search of the 86 year old grandmother and when she found her and called her to tell her that she would be sending her a check for approximately $770, the grandmother was very suspicious of accepting such a gift from a stranger. She was convinced that the monetary gift was a hoax and that she might go to jail for cashing the check.

It took some explaining to reassure the old lady that the money was from the heart and that she did not have to repay it or fear it and that the originator of the gift wanted to remain anonymous. That this was a pay it forward gesture with no wish for reward. After a couple of weeks of discussion between Mathew's nephew's secretary and the old lady, the dear old soul finally accepted the check and cashed it.

Isn't it quite amazing how a little story in a golf newsletter can travel half way round the world and find a benefactor or two to help an old lady and her granddaughter!