When I was 13, I kept a secret that I was ashamed of. We were poor, that’s why I often went to school without food.

At lunchtime, while my classmates were eating their takeaway lunches, I sat and pretended not to be hungry.

I sink my face into the book, hiding the sounds of my empty stomach. Inside, it hurt more than I can tell.

One day, one girl noticed this. Quietly, without fuss, she offered me half of her lunch. I was uncomfortable, but I accepted it. She did it again the very next day. And once again…

It was a miracle to me.

For the first time in a long time, I felt noticed. Then one day she disappeared. Her family moved and she never returned.

Every day at break, I would stare at the door. I hoped she would come in. I wished she would sit next to me with her smile and a sandwich. But she didn’t do it anymore. However, I keep her kindness in my heart. It became a part of me.

The years have flown by. I grew up.

But I often remembered the goodness and kindness that someone had given me when I noticed.

Then one day, something happened that surprised me. My little daughter came home from school and said:

‘Dad, can you bring me two lunches tomorrow?’ ‘

‘Two? I asked. ‘You never eat just one.’

She looked at me with the seriousness that only a child can have:

‘The other one will be for my classmate. He was not eating today. I gave him half of my lunch. ‘

I was just standing there, my goosebumps racing, and it seemed like time stopped. In her little act, I saw that girl from my childhood. What fed me when no one else noticed.

I walked out on the balcony and looked up at the sky

I walked out on the balcony and looked up at the sky. Tears filled my eyes. I silently said thank you, God. I felt my hunger, shame, gratitude and joy all at once.

That girl may never remember me. Maybe she doesn’t even know how important her actions were. But I will never forget her. Because she taught me that even the smallest act of kindness can change lives.

I often hide how I feel or how I’m doing in my life. But some people have obeyed God’s call, noticed me and helped me. And these touches of heaven have changed my heart and the way I look at other people.

Noticing others and being there for them makes a difference and saves lives. May God help us to notice and not leave another in distress.

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THE SOUL MATES by Award Winning International Writer Michael Walsh will inspire you. It encourages you to closely analyse your own life and relationships. It urges you to ask yourself – are my relationships supernaturally created by the gravitational pull of destiny? https://www.lulu.com/shop/michael-walsh/the-soul-mates/paperback/product-2mj59mz.html?q=&page=1&pageSize=4