Dalai Lama Foundation Study Circle Montreal

Last week, in an unusual way, a stranger showered me with generosity.

At an Asian grocery store on a busy evening, I was shopping for the items I needed for my volunteer work of cooking breakfast on Saturday at a homeless shelter in San Jose. I went to the store to buy tofu and fruit. As I was waiting in line to finish the purchase, the lady next to me approached me to find out how I was going to consume the big box of tofu I was buying. Enthusiastically, I replied that I was buying food for the homeless breakfast feed.

While I was getting ready to pay the bill, to my amazement, she offered to pay for everything. Despite multiple requests for her name, she responded that she felt good because I was doing the kind of community work her parents once received when they came to this country as refuges. Hence she wanted to take the opportunity to show her gratitude.

It was best reward I had ever received for my volunteer work, which began three years ago.

In a strange way we all are connected and feel for each other. That’s what I call being a "human."

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