My receptionist, Emily, lost her husband unexpectedly in a car accident. Our company policy allows for 3 days of bereavement leave. On day 4, she showed up, pale and shaking, trying to answer phones because she couldn't afford to lose her income. It was heartbreaking to watch. I put the 'Out to Lunch' sign up, locked the door, and sat her down. I told her, 'Go home. Take the month. Take two. Your salary will continue as if you are here 8 hours a day.' Grief doesn't have a 3-day expiration date. If you force people to work through trauma, you break them. If you support them, they remember it forever.

"Today as I was heading to the gym [when] I passed a car with its hood up. In passing, I saw it was an older lady and she had this helpless look on her face. I backed up before entering the interstate and asked if she was okay. She could barely talk and seemed like she was about to cry, so I made her laugh. I said, 'Well, duh, obviously you're not okay. Your hood is up and you're sitting in the middle of the road.' She laughed and told me she had just bought a battery, but her car went dead at the light. I said, 'Ma'am it's your alternator.' She said, 'You must be a country boy!' I jumped her car and advised her to go straight home instead of doing the errands she was running. I followed her home and the car cut off again, but I jumped her again and we finally got her car parked back at her apartment complex. She tried to pay me. After saying how long she'd been sitting in the road -- helpless and unable to get anyone on the phone -- it reminded me of how different things are in this world today. I told her I grew up in a smaller city, but it was second nature for me to stop and make sure she was okay or had someone/AAA on the way. I told her my name and she told me hers was Fannie. I said, 'Ms. Fannie -- that was my grandmother's name. Maybe she is reminding me from heaven to be a gentleman.' In this busy and hectic world, take the time and be a blessing to someone." ~Credit: Maurice Johnson