Dear Friends,

Recently, a waitress received a $1000 tip. Here's the story.

It was an ordinary day at the restaurant and the waitress, a 19-year-old who was seven months pregnant, was serving a woman and her friend. They ordered a simple meal - sandwiches, fries and drinks. The bill came to $26. The woman paying left the waitress a tip of $1000 with this note written on the check: "Keep the change! Have a great day!"

Even though there were ten one hundred dollar bills she thought it was a joke until the restaurant manager confirmed they were not counterfeit. The waitress couldn't figure out why the couple left such a generous tip. "The service wasn't that good," she candidly stated.
Media attention prompted the woman who left the tip to call the restaurant manager to explain. That woman, a 28-year-old recent widow, was there with a friend. Because of her loss, she was grieving and having a difficult time. The woman indicated she had been treating her grief by shopping. In fact, she said she was a shop-a-holic.

Observing the waitress, a young, pregnant woman, the customer reached into her purse and left the shopping money. "I didn't need it. It helped someone who needed it. It made me feel phenomenal."

There is this lesson in her story: by doing good we can help ourselves feel good. This was something noted by poet Flora Edwards: "In helping others, we shall help ourselves, for whatever good we give out completes the circle and comes back to us."

Today, even though you may be grieving a loss, consider doing something uplifting for another person. Perhaps you could write a letter or send an email of encouragement to an individual. Perhaps you could pick up the phone and express appreciation to someone. Perhaps you could send a small gift of money to a needy student in college.

Whatever good you do will come back to you.