Almsgiving

Whenever I think of almsgiving, I think of writing a check to some organization.  Recently, I expanded my almsgiving horizon.  I was sitting in a Mall food court one day eating something.  I noticed a woman who was cleaning all the messy tables and brushing things up off the floor to make the place ready for future customers.  I had been reading my Spanish prayer book, and had come across a Spanish word, the English meaning of which escaped me at the time.  I thought this cleaning person might be Latino.  She is probably a Mom and a wife.  This may be her second job.  She was very faithful to cleaning up.  A thought came to me.  I approached her and said hello in Spanish.  She responded and I asked if she spoke Spanish.  Si.  So I asked her what the Spanish word meant in English.  She knew the translation. She is bilingual.  It meant "to Pay."  A coincidence?  I gave her a $5 bill.  She took it and smiled.  Did it change her life?  Who knows.  It did change mine for that day.  It was Ash Wednesday.