Abby slowly walked by and glanced back at the busy streets behind her. Her mother was in a hurry to get going, but Abby didn’t speed up. She was too busy thinking about all those people walking by and not noticing what was happening: These people on the sides of the streets, holding up signs and some even playing beautiful music. But when she looked back at the sidewalk, she didn’t see anyone stopping to throw coins in their baskets, or even acknowledging their presence. And certainly never stopping to smile or give compliments to the ones playing their instruments.

“Mom,” she said, “do you have a dollar bill? I’d like to give it to the nice man over there.”

The man was busy in his own world, somewhere lost in his brain, and he was very scruffy and rough looking, but his clarinet playing was the most beautiful thing Abby had ever heard.

“Certainly not, dear!” Abby’s mother replied. “Why would we give money to someone who is so poor they can’t even get it themselves?!” And with that, she grabbed Abby by the arm and quickly walked back to their car.

At home, Abby rushed up to her room and tore through all the things in her bedroom drawer. Finally she found what she was looking for, a glass jar filled to the brim with coins and bills.

“. . . forty-nine, fifty! Fifty dollars should be enough for everyone.” Then she put the jar on her bedside table and ran downstairs for dinner.

The next morning, Abby asked her mom if they could go downtown and get a wedding present for her aunt.

“Of course!” her mother said.

Once they were downtown, Abby told her mother she was going to look at the books in the bookstore, but really she snuck outside and grabbed the jar out of her pocket and walked up to a woman with a sign, smiled at her, and sprinkled some money in her basket. She went down the street and did the same for every person.

Then her mother came out and started to get angry, but quickly softened when she saw how happy the people were. And the best part about the whole situation was that Abby had a big smile on her face!