Downstairs, Mark sat quietly with his head bowed .Tears streamed down his face as he tightly held that coin. Finally looking up at my parents, he said, "It's just that I thought nobody cared. For the last twenty years, I have been so lonely. That is the first hug I have ever got. It's hard to believe that somebody cares ."
Mark's life changed that night. When he left our house, he was ready to live instead of die. Although we never saw Mark again, we received letters from him every once in a while, letting us know that he was doing fine.
My life changed that night, too, as I witnessed the huge healing power of giving , even if it's only a gift of fifty cents.
Before Mark left, my parents asked him why he had knocked on our door. Mark said that as he'd walked along the streets that rainy night, helpless and ready to die, he had noticed a sticker on the car. It read: SOMEBODY LOVES YOU.