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Good Afternoon. Here is a great thought for the day: A young man who was graduating from college once told me the story about how Oral Brown was his "Real Life Angel." Brown, a real estate agent in Northern California, saw a young girl in her neighborhood begging for money. Later she decided to find and try to help this young girl. When she went to the school the girl had claimed to attend, Brown couldn't find her, but that day she made a decision that would change the lives of many other children forever. She adopted an entire first-grade class in one of Oakland's lowest performing schools, and she pledged that she personally would pay for anyone who wanted to attend college. This would be a great story even if Oral Lee Brown was independently wealthy; however, it is a much greater story considering she used to pick cotton in Mississippi, making $45,000 a year and raising two children of her own. Brown lived up to her pledge. Since 1987, she's personally saved $10,000 a year while raising donations for her "adopted first-grade kids." And because of her tremendous act of unselfish love, children who could have been "swallowed by the streets" are now graduating from college to pursue their dreams. We all seek our purpose in life. Most of us wonder how we can make a positive difference during our brief time on this Earth. But asking and doing are different things. It's hard to imagine that Oral Lee Brown wouldn't have a wonderful positive attitude, because she has thought less about herself and more about others. This, in my opinion, is a "little secret" that many people never quite understand about life. It is one of the most beautiful compensations in life... we can never help another without helping ourselves.
"Each morning is the beginning of a new day. You have been given this day to use as you will. You can waste it or use it for good. What you do today is important because you are exchanging a day of your life for it. When the sun rises tomorrow this day will be gone forever, in its place will be something you have left — may it be something good. Follow your heart, it knows what to do." London Delicious stories are distributed weekly by email. If you'd like to be sure not to miss our next story, sign up for a free subscription here:
P.S. We hope our stories add as much to your life as they have ours.
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