Paying it forward

In the movie “Pay It Forward,” Haley Joel Osment creates an idea to make the world a better place. Help someone, just because they need it, and expect nothing in return. Just tell them to pay it forward.

This movie is a family favorite of ours and a saying we have said to others. And we have been on the receiving end of this philosophy. Even recently at a local store when our debit card was not working and my wife was preparing to decide what items to put back when a stranger stepped up and paid for the entire bill and said those words as he left. Just pay it forward. Wow.

What kind of place would the world be if we all did this? Shut your eyes a second and imagine. Broke down on the side of the road, someone gives you a lift. A few bucks short at the store and someone hands you the cash. You show up to pay a monthly bill at a store and someone has paid it for you this month. That would be an amazing place. Guess what? There is no reason that cannot happen right here in Coulee Country. As a matter of fact, I know it is already going on. Besides the man who helped us at the store, I hear stories from time to time of good deeds people have done for others.

So here is what I say to all of you, let’s make this holiday season a great one. Let’s start blessing one another. How about we buy the coffee for the people behind us in the coffee stand or we buy dessert for the next person to enter the restaurant. We could even go a little bigger by paying someone’s utility bill or buying them snow tires. Raking leaves, shoveling snow, delivering a meal, offering a ride in the rain. We can do all of this in the Coulee and even bigger. What a fabulous place we could make this area. Neighbors helping neighbors.

I also believe some others things would start happening in return. Crime would go down, happiness would go up and there would be less drama in all of our lives and more love. I can see it now.

So, thank you to the stranger at the store, we will pay it forward. To all of you who read this and decide to start a pay-it-forward chain reaction, thanks to you, too. Feel free to watch this movie as a family and then make a list together of who you would like to help. If just a few families do this, we can change some lives here in our little corner of the world. Get out there and PAY IT FORWARD!