A friend told me a story she had read about Mother Teresa. She related the story from memory; so, the details may vary from the original but the substance is the same.

We all know Mother Teresa as the short, humble nun born Agnes Gonxha Bojaxhiu in Albania on August 26, 1910 and who went home to God on September 5, 1997. She founded the Missionaries of Charity and won the Nobel Peace Prize in 1979 for her humanitarian work. For over forty years she ministered to the poor, sick, orphaned, and dying in Kolkata (Calcutta), India. She spread her influence all over the world.

On one occasion, she was traveling by commercial airplane to Honduras from the United States to carry on her missionary work, when she demonstrated her total commitment to her mission.

The flight attendant began to serve meals to the passengers. Mother Teresa was one of the first to be offered the meal. Instead of accepting the meal, she asked the flight attendant how much the meal cost the airline. The flight attendant was puzzled, but checked with the captain.

The attendant reported back that it cost the airline about $1.00 for the meal. Mother Teresa then made a proposition. She said, "If I don't take the meal, will you then give me a dollar for the poor?" Again, the flight attendant was puzzled and consulted with the captain. On this airline at this time, the captain had more authority than they do today on most airlines. The captain had the authority to agree and did so.

Passengers nearby overheard what was going on and news of the "deal" made with the captain by Mother Teresa quickly spread throughout the plane. The captain then agreed to give Mother Teresa $1.00 for every meal not taken by a passenger on the plane. Not a meal was eaten on that plane that day.

Mother Teresa - said to be one of the most influential woman in the world at that time - left the plane with $129.00 for the poor. She then turned to Bob, her aide, and said, "Get me the food."

"What food," he said.

"The food on that plane that wasn't eaten - they're just going to throw it away aren't they? Get me the food...and a truck."

"A truck?" asked the aide.

"We certainly cannot carry all that food ourselves."

Obediently, Bob went to the captain and stated Mother Teresa's request. It took some scratching of heads and some checking with superiors, but her request was honored. Within 30 minutes, the food was loaded on a truck that followed Mother Teresa's car to a nearby village of the poor where it was distributed to those most needy.

A dollar will buy a lot. For a needy child in the United States, a few dollars will buy needed school supplies or clothing. A few dollars pledged to sponsor a child in another country will possibly save his or her life through the provision of medical supplies or food. There are many reputable organizations that can provide a channel for you to do this.

A few dollars a week contributed to your church, synagogue, mosque, or temple by every person (including you) who attends services there will make it possible for that organization to do wondrous things.

A few dollars donated to the candidate of your choice in an election can make a difference and help to diminish the influence of big, wealthy contributors.

The problem is and has always been the excuse employed by most that "someone else" will carry the load. Someone else will answer the call. Someone else will do the job. The result is that a few people do their best to carry the load and others do little or nothing.

But, each person can make a difference. Mother Teresa was just one person. She was a Catholic nun born in a country where Catholicism has been under attack and in decline for many years. Most people probably don't even know where Albania is. And she made a difference...a big difference. Mention her name and almost anyone will recognize it and know something of what she did.

One person's act of humanity can make a difference. A good deed does not go unnoticed. No positive act is futile. Every act has a ripple effect. Shake off your lethargy, leave your excuses behind, and make your "ripple." Do it now!

*"Each time a man stands up for an ideal, or acts to improve the lot of others, or strikes out against injustice, he sends forth a tiny ripple of hope, and crossing each other from a million different centers of energy and daring, those ripples build a current that can sweep down the mightiest walls of oppression and resistance." - Robert F. Kennedy, speech at the University of Cape Town, South Africa, June 6, 1966.