The Patriot Post® · Inspiration: A Good Deed Goes a Long Way

How about some good news? Several years ago, country singer Tim McGraw released a song titled “Live Like You Were Dying.” McGraw offered both fun and thoughtful answers to the question many of us ponder: What would you do with your last days on earth? One woman in Auburn, Maine, answered that question with an act of kindness that will be remembered long after she’s gone.

The woman went to a local Kmart and paid off 16 layaway orders that struggling families hadn’t yet paid. “She paid off 16 layaways in cash, about $3,000,” said store manager Joyce Beane. “Then she said, ‘I’m not feeling well. I need to leave.’” The woman only explained that she was extremely ill and wanted to do something good before she died. “I wanted to cry,” Beane added. “It was that powerful.”

Rina Thibeau was one recipient of this gracious gift. She’s a grandmother working nights as a janitor, and she also runs a charity called Christmas Smilez that gives to needy kids. The gifts she had on layaway at Kmart were for these kids, meaning the generosity of the “Layaway Angel” will go even further. Beane concluded, “It takes something like this to make you think, ‘Oh, my word. If I were facing the end of my life, would I take time to reach out and help people?’” Only if you live like you were dying.