I am reading a really interesting and good book right now (though sadly it was due back to the library and I had to return it today and will probably have to wait 3 or 4 weeks until I get it back). It's called The Book Woman of Troublesome Creek. It is set in rural Kentucky, and Cussy is a book woman...she travels up and down the mountains to deliver books to the families and a school located in remote areas. Her selection of books is very limited and all of the people including Cussy and her dad are VERY poor. Her dad is a miner and getting miner's lung. And he works long hours. Also, Cussy and her dad have a rare genetic condition that makes their skin blue and people look down on them because of their color. (Amazingly that is real and though rare it was found among a group of people in Kentucky.)
A doctor convinces Cussy's dad to let him take Cussy to the city to run tests to learn more about the causes of their blueness. After their first trip to the city, Cussy is bruised and sore and scared. The doctor obviously feels a bit guilty about her experience and so he gives her honey and medicine. Both are invaluable to the people in Kentucky. One family that she delivers to has a husband that was shot in the foot for stealing a neighbor's chicken. The doctor won't treat him--he says he's lucky he was just shot in the foot. And the wife, Angeline, is pregnant and has a couple of small children and they are nearly starving. She likely won't survive if her husband dies. So Cussy packs up the medicine and honey with her books to take to Angeline. I have to admit as I read it, I was a bit shocked by Cussy's generosity. Cussy can definitely use that honey for herself and her dad. She could just give Angeline a portion of it. Cussy has so little. Yet Cussy is generous and selfless, probably beyond what I would be in her situation.
I know she is a fictional character. And yet I also know that many people make significant sacrifices for others. I can be more generous. I can be more selfless. I can be a little more like Cussy.
LESSONS LEARNED: Generosity is not a matter of how much money you have.
Be selfless...think of others more than yourself.
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