Never Underestimate the Power of Your Contribution

She is a retired RN that often worked multiple jobs.  Interestingly, she didn’t start out dreaming she would become a nurse.  She lived in the projects and needing enough money to pay bills and buy food was a regular part of her young life.  Her mother worked in healthcare in the housekeeping department.  One of the doctor’s in the hospital got to know her and told her, “You’re much too smart to work in housekeeping.  What do you dream of doing?”  Phyllis’ mother responded, “I’ve always dreamed of being a nurse.”  The doctor set wheels in motion at the hospital and told the team there to figure out how to get this smart, hardworking woman raising kids on her own through nursing school.  And Phyllis’ mom became a nurse. Young Phyllis watched this metamorphosis of her mother and became inspired.  Filled with hope for a better life, as soon as her mother finished nursing school, Phyllis took her mother’s books and enrolled.

A week before the final payment for school was due, Phyllis didn’t have the last $75 to pay for her classes.  She was told that is she was unable to come up with the money, she’d have to drop out.  By this time she had been taking classes for several weeks.  Out of the blue a childhood friend showed up.  The two of them had been thick as thieves growing up in the projects together.  They were friends all through school until he moved away.  As they were catching up, she shared that she was going to have to drop out of nursing school because she couldn’t afford it.  He asked her how much she needed and when she said, “$75,” he pulled the money out of his pocket and gave it to her.  She promised to pay him back upon completion of her classes.  Phyllis completed her LPN and then her RN.  She was never able to locate her friend to make good on her promise.  She later learned he was a successful boxer and had a wonderful career which he had used to bless her with access to an education through a $75 gift.

Phyllis’ education allowed her to have an amazing career, safe housing, raise a family and a secure retirement.  She drives Lyft for fun money and vacations.  And Phyllis credits that one doctor who saw her mother’s potential for changing the trajectory of her entire life.

Phyllis’ story reminds me of the importance of seeing people for who they are and then, when appropriate, acting on the needs we see in empowering ways.  Our contributions to our community and its members come in all sorts of ways—safe passage through a new experience, providing access to educational opportunities, making sure our children have a safe place to call home, sharing an encouraging word and a smile.  The outcomes of our contributions are often difficult to measure because, as in Phyllis’ case, that $75 gift turned into a brand new life.

Never underestimate the power of your contribution in the lives of others.