Donate from the
‘ purse of the heart ’
A reflection by Louis Fourie , founding partner of the Regarding my Life programme
A
story a few years ago in a US newspaper poignantly captures the spirit of true generosity .
It relayed the chronicle of LouAnn Alexander , who worked as a flight attendant for 34 years – and sadly , at the age of 58 , received a diagnosis of pancreatic cancer .
Soon , the cheerful mother of two and grandmother-to-be made plans for hospice care . Her older brother Rex Ridenoure , who was flying out to be with her , asked the flight attendant on the flight – an old colleague of his sister ’ s , as it turned out – if he could say a few words on the passenger address system .
He elegantly talked for a while about his sister , how much she meant to the family and how she enjoyed flying , then even passed his phone around the plane so they could see photos of her . Many regular passengers recognised her .
He then handed out napkins and asked if they would write a little something for LouAnn , as a last souvenir from the people she so enjoyed serving . Ninety-six passengers responded . Some drew pictures of encouragement . One man and his seatmate created flowers from swizzle sticks and napkins for her .
But mostly , there were warm words : “ Your brother made me love you and I do not even know you ”, one read . And “ My favourite quote from when I had two brain tumours : ‘ You are braver than you believe , stronger than you seem and smarter than you think .’”
LouAnn Alexander died in April 2016 . Her brother still shares the story of the spiritual abundance that he took home from that flight . “ I am just amazed that given the opportunity , even total strangers will reach out and show more empathy ever imagined possible from strangers . Those napkins of compassion meant so much to my sister in her final days .”
Generosity , charity , philanthropy and altruism are concepts we generally associate with wealthier people bequeathing some of their assets or earnings to benefit those in need . And I think we all agree that it is a commendable act to share some of your financial rewards with those less fortunate .
But open-heartedness need not be only about donating material resources . The word philanthropia
“
The generosity of spirit is a capital that offers an unexplainable return .
”
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