Mark Phillips' Pages: Workbook: 11/1/08: We heard a young woman crying, outside a thrift shop.

William H. Johnson, "Folk Family" (c.1944) — William H. Johnson, *Folk Family* (c.1944)

November 1, 2008:

We heard a young woman crying, outside a thrift shop. A mentally-challenged girl, working as a volunteer in the store. A "special ed" girl, I suppose. Maybe 25, working there to gain experience interacting with the adult world.

We needed to be somewhere, so that your sister could run errands crucial for her business, before the offices closed.

Without hesitation she walked over to the crying girl and kindly asked, "Do you need a help? Do you need a hug?"

"My back hurts, and my supervisor was mean to me." Child's voice, between sobs.

Hugged her, helped her get her daypack off, sat on the curb with her until her ride arrived.

Your sister is an exceptionally kind and well-meaning person who understands suffering and will generously sacrifice her own time and needs to help total strangers. She has that light inside her, that Christian generosity her mother aspires to but fails to possess.

You should be proud of her.