The seed of this piece came to me as I read a comment from Diana earlier today describing a most kind and generous act indeed.
Diana, this poem is dedicated to your kind daughter and her wonderful mother for whom I have much respect:
Greater Than Gold
As I sat eating my meal
Alone in my thoughts and cares
I noticed a little girl
Turn her head and briefly stare
She saw a homeless man with a hopeless look
Who’d been hungry for far too long
Her eyes grew sad from what she saw
Then she whispered to her mom
I don’t know what she said
As she pointed to him
But when her mom smiled
There was joy in her eyes again
The girl’s hands held coins
She’d counted every penny
It was her allowance
And she didn’t drop any
She placed her savings on the counter
Ordered a meal for a man in need
Fidgeted a bit as she waited for it
So anxious to do the kind deed
He looked up in surprise
And when he saw what she held
His eyes moistened a bit
And his heart seemed to melt
He took her gift and gave his thanks
They smiled then she walked away
It’s a good bet I’ll never forget
The way I felt that day
My heart grew lighter
For inside I knew
That his spark of life and spirit
Had grown a bit brighter too
I learned a lot from that little girl
Who was less than nine years old
How a simple act of kindness
Can be a gift that is greater than gold.
–Russ Towne
Russ Towne's A Grateful Man 
What a wonderful poem……………I liked it
Thank you for taking the time to let me know, Joanne.
Russ
I absolutely love this, Russ.
I’m glad to hear it, my friend.
Russ
What a beautiful life lesson held in those few coins – whether it be much or little, it is worth giving away! I love that story…
Considering how much I love your poetry, I consider your kind comment to be a great compliment indeed. Thank you, Melody.
Russ
Oh Russ! You made me cry – I’m going to share that with my daughter!
xo
Diana
I’m glad you liked it, my friend. I hope your daughter does too. I may eventually write a version into a song lyric with a twist where the person telling the story turns out to have been the man who received the gift from the girl years before and her kindness helped him to turn his life around. I like to think that happened to the man your daughter helped.
Russ
I love that idea! I would love to hear that song if you ever write it. I shared the poem with my daughter on facebook. She said WOW!
I’m glad to hear it. I sent the poem and story twist idea to one of my co-writers (he writes the music). If the idea (with or without the plot twist) resonates with him, we may move on it. Your daughter sent a kind message to me. It was wonderful to hear from her. Russ
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She was quite touched by it Russ – thank you.
:-D!
Wow Russ! Thank you for this beautiful poem (: never felt so inspiring in my life. (: definitely never ha anything written about me before. Nevermind something so meaningful
I’m glad you liked it, Michaela. Your kindness modeled love in action and I’m grateful that your rightfully proud mom shared the story with us. Thank you for being an inspiration for life, compassion, love, kindness, a poem, and perhaps even a song someday.
Russ
I look forward to hearing it!
Thank you, Michaela. I look for to creating and sharing it. Welcome1
Russ