Housecleaning

Because our family is always on the go and working, we have a cleaning service that sends help twice a month to clean our house.  The young lady who cleans our home (sometimes with a second person) has been with us now for over a year and we have gotten to know her pretty well.  Her name is Samantha.

We have gotten to know Samantha over time.  Samantha’s husband works as a pipe-fitter and often has to travel to neighboring states to find and do work.  They have four children.  The other week Samantha explained how recently her husband’s truck had broken down and that he was having to borrow a neighbor’s vehicle to get around.  They figured that next month they would be able to get the truck fixed.  What made matters worse that day was that Samantha’s old Ford Escort was also having trouble as the engine was making some terrible noises (and her mother in-law had accidentally run into the back of the car the week before).

Samantha really didn’t make a big deal about the trouble she and her husband were having, but I knew from previous discussions that they lived in a very small place and struggled each month to make ends meet.

I went to my computer at home and printed out the Pay-It-Forward sheet that explained what we are doing.  Then I went to the bank and got $150.  I put the money and sheet in an envelope and caught Samantha has she was about to leave.  I told her that this was for her and her husband.  The only condition I mentioned was that she had to open the envelope when her husband was with her.  Samantha said she would try to wait for her husband, but she said she was very nosy.  I mentioned again she would need to wait and she agreed she would.

I didn’t hear from Samantha for two weeks – not until it was time to have the house cleaned again.  Samantha arrived with a new person to help her that day and thanked me profusely for the money that was used to help get her husband’s truck fixed, and said she would help at least three people in some way in the future.  Samantha’s workmate Donna asked me what Pay-It-Forward was all about so I explained what people at Paradigm were doing.  Donna recounted a story of her father and how he had once stopped, collected and miraculously returned a number of $100 bills found at the side of the road and how people, just be doing simple things really can change people’s situation.  Donna asked if there was any information I could give to her on the subject.  I again printed the summary sheet and the email that Rob sent out.  Donna seemed interested in what we are doing and took the sheet with her when she left.