Far More Valuable than Money
There is a beautiful story, told us, of a wealthy businessman in New York. As he was walking briskly to his office one morning, he came upon a destitute who had put out some dry, withered flowers for sale, and was holding his cap to passers-by. The wealthy man tossed a dollar into the cap and hurried on his way. Suddenly, he stopped short and retraced his way to beggar, "I am sorry, friend," he said. "In my hurry, I forgot to pick up my purchase." He looked carefully at the withered flowers in the man's collection, and pulled out a dahlia, "My favourite flower," he smiled. "After all, you too are a businessman like me!"
A few months later, he was dining at a restaurant when a well-dressed, handsome man approached his table and introduced himself. "Perhaps, you don't recognize me," he said. "But you are the man who helped me to make something of myself, I was just a vagabond selling flowers; you gave me back my self-respect. Now I call myself a businessman, just as you did that day!"
It was not just charity that the wealthy man had given. He had given the poor man respect and dignity, which are far more valuable than money.
