This young woman, and Michael, both saw the whole of humanity as their family. They did not separate themselves by gender, by nationality, by age, by state, town, or education, skin color or any other way that we choose to separate ourselves from one another. If you think about it, all the ways we use to identify ourselves, are the same ways we separate ourselves from others.
Most of us don't have the problem of too much wealth. We usually feel that we need to accumulate more and more, to provide for our families and to ensure their, and our, security in the future. There is always a measure of us versus them. Along with this goes a sense of not enough to go around. If we don't take what we can, we may lose out. It is very hard to overcome and change this way of thinking.
Even if we are not ready to sign our paycheque over to a stranger, we can start by sharing of ourselves in ways other than money. We can give our time, our smiles, our talents and experience to others freely, not holding back for any reason. We can let someone else go ahead of us in the supermarket line, let someone in front of us while driving, buy a coffee for someone behind you, hold the door for someone, say thank you, in this way, we become more a part of one another. Not separating ourselves from others because of our differences, but uniting with them because of our similarities. When I remember to do these little things, I find my day becoming joyful, and I feel closer to Michael as well. I think of what he would want me to do, and I feel him applauding and laughing and spinning on his toes when I make a choice that serves someone besides myself.
