I passed them on the street and did not even look. I heard a mom call after her daughter as she ran down the road toward the intersection in front of us. I thought she was calling her to come back. Instead the small girl ran up to a car stopped at the red light and peeked into the window. Begging. It was then I noticed her dirty clothes and face. She was so small she could barely see into the window.
My heart broke. But I kept walking, too used to my heart breaking as I passed poor families on the street. Another girl came behind the little one, a taller version of the first. She too was peeking into car windows pleading with ignoring drivers.
Then I remembered the orange. Tossed haphazardly in my backpack to have for a snack later. I started to dig into my bag looking for it. The older girl had her face pressed to another car window. I came up behind her and said hey. She didn’t hear me so I tapped on her shoulder. She turned around and I handed her the orange.
Big brown eyes met mine as her face lit up and she smiled, saying something I could not understand. As I walked away I saw her running back toward her mother and siblings, the orange raised in the air, she ran yelling with excitement.
Then my heart truly broke. An orange I had tossed in my bag for a snack made this girl so proud. She ran back to her mother with joy knowing she had done her part to feed her family. Rejoicing as if she had won a prize for playing a fun game. I stood at the intersection tears clouding my eyes as I realized the impact of one small orange in that girl’s day.
I wish I had more to give her. I wish I could do more. Was she a Roma? Does she ever go to school? Does she have a place to call home?
I wanted to be angry. At myself for always walking past. At a mother who asked her small children to beg. At a society that divides classes in a way that causes mothers and children to beg for money on the side of the road.
But instead I remember that I can always do something. I can always give out oranges and smiles and love. Stopping just for a moment on the side of the road can let a little girl know she is loved and thought about and valued.
Sometimes I feel like since I cannot really do much to change someone’s situation that I cannot do anything. This is simply not true. One small act of love is sometimes the greatest gift we can give.
“We can do no great things – only small things with great love.” -Mother Teresa
