Act of Kindness ?

A man was riding in the back of his limosine when he saw a man

eating grass by the roadside. He ordered the driver to stop and

he got out to investigate.

"Why are you eating grass?" he asked the man.

"I don't have any money for food" the poor man replied.

"Oh please come to my house!"

"But sir, I have a wife and 4 children!"

"Bring them along" the rich man said.

They climbed into the limo.

Once underway the poor felow said "Sir, you are too kind, thank

you for taking us all in."

The rich man replied, "No, you don't understand, the grass at my house

is over 3 feet tall!"

This joke reminds me of something that happened to me last

year while shopping in town.

I was approached by a rather shabby and poor looking woman - I do

believe she was from ex - Jugoslawien.

She told me she had not eaten for a while and was very hungry.

Perhaps I'm a soft sucker for lies like that, but I handed her a 5 Swiss

Frank coin, not an awful lot, but for that amount she could buy a fresh

bread roll filled with a variety of yummy goodies at one of the

many bakeries in our town. As soon as she snatched the money from my

palm, she told me that they have no place to stay and her eldest son is

sleeping on one of the benches at the Main station.

And "Can you give me 20 Swiss Franks to help my Son?!"

I got the message, smiled and moved on without giving her any

more money.

During my stay in town, I have seen that very woman beg for

money at least half a dozen times.

That same week I had to go downtown again, and believe me there

she stood on the sidewalk - better dressed than myself!

The police must have been notified because a few weeks later I

read in our local newspaper that a woman was arrested for

conning people in the heart of our town.

The world is filled with different people, honost and dishonost

rich and poor, to mention just a few.

Although I have grumbled moaned and complained about many things

in and about Switzerland, simply because things are so very different to

my hometown and living here is not the same as enjoying a 3week ski-ing

vacation, but because the Social security in this country is better than

anywhere else in the world, no-one is homeless and no-one needs to go

hungry! !