REV Federal Credit Union’s Post

“I was in my 30’s - I will never forget it. You know how sometimes you have people begging for money. One particular day I went to a Chinese restaurant and saw this young lady; she looked to be around 50. I was walking out and she said, ‘could you please buy me a meal. I have no money. I’m really hungry, I just want something to eat.’ I said ‘no’. I just said ‘no, I can’t help you,’ and I got in my car. While driving away, I’m like - that lady seems sincere. It was something different about that particular woman. She didn’t ask for money. She asked me to go in with her and purchase her a meal. So, I turned around, because it hit me: you know, this could be you one day. This could be your loved one. Who do you think you are? You have a pocket full of money, but you told this lady ‘no’ for no reason. So I turned around and I called her back. I said, ‘ma’am, come on. I’m going to buy you a meal.’ I said, ‘you get whatever you want.’ She got chicken and rice. She said, ‘that’s all I want. I haven’t eaten in two days.’ The lady started crying. She sat down and said, ‘would you sit with me?’ ‘Oh,’ I said. ‘Sure, I will sit with you.’ I sat with her, but she didn’t talk much. She just kept thanking me for doing that. That changed my perspective on things. You have to be kind. You have to show empathy. You have to treat people the way you want to be treated. And initially, I didn’t. But she got to me. That humbled me.” Emma Washington – Senior Asset Recovery Specialist #HumansOfREV