25-year-old Greg Smith from Orlando, USA, works as a sales manager and personal trainer. Due to the fact that he works in Orlando – obviously a big city – he tends to meet a lot of interesting characters.
One of them is homeless woman Amy Joe. She was always friendly and nice to Greg, and so it wasn’t long before the two became good friends.
After a time, Amy revealed something that would change everything. When she did, Greg knew exactly what to do.
Every day of the week, Greg would see Amy sitting by herself on the corner of the street. She always had a smile on her face and was always wishing people a nice day. He instantly took a shine to her; noting the fact that, even as a homeless woman, not once did she ask for money.
Eventually, they started to eat lunch together. For 30 minutes every Thursday, Greg would sit and listen to Amy’s interesting and positive thoughts. She was homeless, but Amy didn’t drink, smoke or bother anyone. That said; she did have a secret. When Greg found out what it was, he knew he had to act immediately.
In a post on Facebook, Greg described himself as lucky in life. Unlike Amy, he has two parents who have always provided for him. His job requires him to wear a suit, meaning he is often asked by homeless people for money when he passes them by. Never Amy, though. No; she wants other things in life.
During one of their lunches, Greg finally discovered what Amy’s secret was. She revealed to him a goal that she had been pursuing through her entire life – one she had never been fortunate enough to accomplish. It was simply that she wanted to learn how to read. As no one had ever taught her, she had never been able to. Obviously, in this day and age, that makes getting a job very difficult indeed; something she explained to Greg over their food.
Amy wanted to teach herself so badly, that any money she collected went towards the purchase of books. She even prioritised this over buying herself food. Greg was so impressed, and it made such a lasting impact on him, that he decided to do something to help.
Greg wanted to teach Amy how, so he took her to the library and bought a book. For every lunch thereafter, he sat down with Amy and helped her to read. Then he gave her tasks so that she might continue until the next lunch came around.
“Helping someone can be easy as saying hello and smiling,” Greg writes on Facebook.
But the story doesn’t end there. Greg had another surprise for Amy.
“I told her we would take a short walk, to a restaurant that was four blocks away.”
Greg had sorted clothes, food and money to help get Amy back on her feet. His gesture brought moved her to tears.
“She said that she was so happy we met, then she hugged me and said she loves me.”
Greg never gave up on Amy and continued to watch out for her so that she could get what she needed most in life. On top of that, it’s his plan to make sure that she learns to read. Greg is now aiming towards starting a collection, in her honour, to help the homeless.
What Greg did for Amy Joe is nothing short of amazing. It’s a sad fact that some people just don’t have the same opportunities as others in life. But if more people are willing to lend a hand like Greg, there’s no reason why everyone can’t feel supported in society.
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