Helping others doesn’t have to be a huge gesture or donation. There are small things that we can all do in our communities that can really make a difference in someone’s life and in the community.
Some things as small as mowing the lawns of the elderly or donating your time or some goods to your local food bank are seemingly small ways to make life better for another person in need.
It may just be a small chunk of time out of your day, or a minuscule dent in your pocketbook, but it will mean the world to those in your community that you’ve affected.
When Lieutenant Colonel Robert Risdon was eating his dinner one day at a fast food chain, he saw the opportunity to make two young souls’ day one to remember.
LTC Risdon didn’t have to interrupt his own dinner in order to help these two strangers, but he did it anyway. Helping people must just be something in his nature, as he’s dedicated his life to serving his country as a member of our armed forces. Every day while on the job, he fights for our freedom – puts his life on the line so that we can sleep soundly at night. That takes a special kind of person, and he is so brave to do what he does at work.
But what he did this one evening at a Taco Bell simply warms the heart, and inspires us all to be more like him.
When he saw two boys, one nine and one 13, looking fatigued, hungry, and reportedly in damp clothing, he took it upon himself to investigate the situation.
The boys were trying to sell baked goods as a part of their church’s fundraiser. They must have thought that they’d reach a wider customer base within their community, rather than at their church alone.
LTC Risdon asked the boys if they’d eaten dinner yet that evening. Their heartbreaking answer was “no.”
That’s when another diner at the restaurant, Jason Gibson, took out his camera and started filming what happened next.
The soldier sweetly asks the boys what they would like to eat for dinner, pointing at the menu and prying for answers about the shy boys’ appetites. Towards the end of the interaction, you can tell that the older boy tries to modestly say that he doesn’t need a drink. But LTC Riston insists: “Are you sure you don’t want a drink? You want a drink.” And the woman behind the counter hands them two cups.
At one point, the younger boy turns around to look at the camera, overjoyed.
In the video description, Gibson notes that, after he stopped filming, the younger boy said to the kind soldier,
“I want to be just like you when I grow up.”
Now if that doesn’t give you hope for this world, then I’m not sure what would. Kids need good role models to look up to for lessons in kindness, empathy, ambition, and ultimately a future. These children are off to a good start, raising money for their church. But experiencing a random act of kindness from this soldier when they needed some food in their stomachs will be a moment they remember while they go through life and encounter others in need.
The comments on the video show a great amount of respect and appreciation for what LTC Risdon decided to do that evening.
See the full interaction for yourself in the video below.
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