Paying It Ahead

"Paying It Ahead" is the new phrase my mother uses for "Thoughtfulness."

Early on, she taught my sisters and me to do small things for others to give them joy. Sometimes the recipient would let us know. Other times not. Either way, we learned to be content, knowing that we had gone out of our way to brighten someone's day. Later, we learned to hope: that the recipient might also go onto "pay ahead" kindness.

* * *

The phone rang tonight.
I checked the caller i.d. and gasped.
It showed my college professor of long ago.

I took the call.
His wife introduced herself.
Her husband, she informed me, had died two months ago.

She said the postcard I sent him last summer from Iceland had brought great joy.

"You don't know what it means for a teacher to have someone send a word - 'some 22 years later'," she said quoting my note. "I know it must have taken you some time to track him down; and so I took the time to do the same of you – 'the gal with the broken leg in his Wednesday night class'."

I smiled, "Well, he'd said 'If you ever make it to Iceland, send a postcard.' And while I was planning this trip leading five ladies to Norway via Iceland, I thought he just might appreciate my remembering his bonus-points promise."

"He did," she assured. "But how did you get his address?"

I explained how I'd googled his name and amazingly found his current address listed in a newspaper article I found online. I noted, "On the trip, we were so busy that I had time to write just five postcards – one to each of my three sons, one to my former landlady and the fifth to the professor. I hoped you two would enjoy the note. I just can't believe you took the time to track me down!"

We conversed at least 10 minutes.
The rest of this evening, I felt lifted with joy for Paying It Ahead.