At the airport, Anna saw three begger women sitting together. One was blind, one had no arms, and one had shriveled legs and sat in a chair.
"Can we do anything for those poor women?" Anna asked joe.
"No. But they can do something for us. Come on."
Joe went over to the threesome. Joe greeted them in English and they replied in kind.
"Can we show you around?" said the blind woman.
"Can I carry your luggage?" asked the armless woman.
"Run any errands for you?" ask the woman with crippled legs.
Joe gave money to the blind woman, whose fingers delicately passed over the notes as if she could determine the denomination thereby. "We want to have some kerchiefs made up for the children in the park like the ones Anna and I are wearing. Go to the cloth store," he told the blind woman, "and pick out the prettiest material."
He turned to the armless one. "Cut the material into squares this size. We will want about twenty of them." Joe took of his kerchief and showed the size.
To the shrivelled-legged woman, he said, "Run the squares of cloth over to the seamstress's shop and have her hem them for us. For these purposes, use the money I have given you and please keep the change.
"Very good," they all agreed. "We will ahve them here for you at the airport at your return."
Joe and Anna left them to check in for their flight. "So you see," Joe said, "they are not beggers. They are a corporation. Three individuals united in one body. They are a constant reminder to me not to try to do (or be) everything myself, to admit there are some things I cannot do and for which I must ask others for help.
"Because, when you ask someone for help, you give them a chance to help. You make them feel worthy. These three women would be helpless without each other, but together they are as sound as you or me.
"They survive not by being helped by each other but by helping each other. Then, having formed the corporation, they make a living by helping others."
I am terrible at asking for help." Anna admitted.
"Because you are in a helping profession and a helper at heart.
Would you please carry my bag over to that bench? It is getting too heavy for me."
"Sure." Anna said, taking up the shabby old carpet bag that probably contained one more robe and his toilet articles and a book of poetry.
When they were seated, Anna thought for a while, then took a bundle from her pack along with her swiss army knife. "I bought some food for us while you were at the park. Um..... would you please prepare lunch for us?"
"Happily," said the holy man. "Very good Anna," he added.
Taken from
The Holy Mans Journey
Susan Trott
