“More Generosity…”

I never thought I would be emotionally impacted by a cantaloupe. But I was today—bowled over, in fact. Almost moved to tears…by a cantaloupe.

The girls are off track from school right now, so we took them to work with us today. They spent the morning flitting from office to office, making inventions out of tape and paper cups and playing Connect Four in the youth room. Then about noon, Pete and I scooped them up for a quick lunch at Noodles. As we headed out, we saw Roger, a volunteer who oversees the Food Bank, unloading the NET truck.

“Check out all the fruits and vegetables,” Pete told me. A big load of produce had been donated by a local health food store and Roger was cheerfully unloading and organizing the bounty for Saturday’s outreach.

I jumped up onto the bumper and peered into the back of the truck, scanning the boxes of onions, tomatoes, crates of mangoes, and packages of arugula. Peyton and Morgan peeked in too.

“You girls like watermelon?” Roger asked them.

There is nothing they like better.

“YEEEESSSSS!” they exclaimed, with enthusiasm.

“Well, I have one watermelon….” Roger said, and to be honest, I'm not sure what else he said. I could hear him talking, likely explaining why he was giving it to us, but my brain was three counties away. We can’t take produce from the food bank, I thought. It feels like stealing from people who need it. But the deal was done. The girls smiled at Roger, who said he'd set it aside for us.

When we returned from lunch, Roger was still there, organizing the food, making sure things were just right.

“You girls, like cantaloupe?” he called out.

The girls chimed a universal, “Yessss!” And so two small melons were tucked into a box with the watermelon.

By mid-afternoon, meetings over, I decided to round up my monkeys and work from home for the rest of the day. As we left, we stopped to get the melons. Roger insisted on carrying them to my car. “Thanks, Roger!” the girls crooned, delighted with the treasures.

As we pulled into the garage, Morgan, eager with anticipation, asked, “Can I have some watermelon?”
“Sure,” I said.

Minutes later, as I lifted the weighty green gem out of the box, I noticed one end was dented a blackish-brown. I set it on the counter and lifted out a cantaloupe.

This little guy had seen better days as well. It was bruised and soft in spots, no doubt overlooked until given to our food bank. It was the sad kind of cantaloupe I would typically ignore, too. And I love cantaloupe; I love the sweet sticky smell and the vitamin profile. Yet, standing there in my kitchen, holding this Charlie Brown melon, I almost wanted to cry.

I put the cantaloupe in the fridge and cut away the bruised end of the watermelon. Then I cut a few thick, red slices for the girls. As I did so, I tasted it. It was borderline over-ripe. Had I purchased it, I might have been disappointed.

“This is delicious!” Morgan exclaimed, gobbling down a huge piece, juice dripping down her blue turtleneck onto her velvet pea-coat. Fresh watermelon mid-January and happy smiles. A beautiful sight.

The taste of love is always sweet.

The store gives excess produce to help those in need. Roger gives generously of his time for the same reason. Roger gave the melons to bless my daughters, but he blessed me as well. Receiving the melons reminded me how simple acts can make a big impact. It reminded me of how much more I have to give—of my resources, my time, and myself. (How easily we forget.) It reminded me that despite the tremendously urgent need worldwide—from Haiti to hungry people in my neighborhood—simply showing others love in spontaneous ways everyday makes the world a better place.

So, thanks to Roger, I'm in pursuit of becoming more generous. I'm looking to be more alert to what I can do for others and hoping to be a more positive example, like Roger.

I'm not sure the melons would have made it until the Saturday distribution. They most likely would have become completely spoiled and not been enjoyed by anyone. (I think Roger knew that, too.) Either way, the girls and I will be bringing some items for the food bank this week, blessing others the way we've been blessed, keeping the cycle of kindness moving forward…