Thursday Thoughts: Give When You Can

Thursday Thoughts, Inspiration, Motivation

Walking up the steep hill to the Uticuse Rubgy field, I noticed another woman waiting for some team members to bring t-shirts and tank tops ordered in June to support their annual “Ruck Cancer” fundraiser. Annually the team chooses someone in the rugby community who is fighting cancer or is connected to cancer somehow to be the beneficiary of their annual tournament.

The woman at the top of the field happened to be the mother-in-law of the person and family the team benefited from this year – the Cassidy family. Through t-shirt sales, team fees, sponsorships, and food/drink sales during the June tournament, they raised $6,200.  

“He came home yesterday from the hospital to be put on hospice,” the woman told me. “I am so sorry to hear that,” I responded as I expressed my sorrow for everyone in her family.

As I walked back to my car with my black and yellow “Ruck Cancer” tank top in my hand, the meaning of the $20 I spent to purchase it felt small, yet somehow significant. Without knowing the family, I wanted to thank the Uticuse Rugby team for letting me practice with them one night to learn the game for my ultimate “try every sport once” list, so I bought the shirt as a gesture of support.

Sometimes it is so simple and easy to make a difference. We do it every day but do we stop to realize the significance of gestures small and large?  

It is the reason I bought the shirt. It is the reason I’m running in the Boston Half Marathon for the Dana-Farber Cancer Center team. My goal was to raise $500 but I surpassed that already so the goal was reset at $1,000. It is also why every day I end it by thanking God for my blessings big and small – like meeting this woman who has a tough road ahead for her family.

Today’s message is very simple – give when you can because you don’t know who you’ll be standing next to who might just need to know you took the time to love, give, and support a stranger important to them or a cause.