For nearly a year, I regularly lent my neighbor money whenever she needed help. Sometimes it was $50, other times $100. She always thanked me and promised to repay me. I trusted her and never imagined that my kindness would end in disappointment. Then, one day, she suddenly moved away without returning the money or even saying goodbye. I felt hurt and wondered whether she had simply taken advantage of my generosity. I tried to forget about it, but I couldn’t help questioning whether I had been foolish to trust her.
About a week later, a letter arrived from an attorney. It informed me that my former neighbor had passed away after battling a serious illness. I was shocked and saddened. I had never known she was sick, and I immediately regretted judging her without understanding what she might have been going through. But the letter contained another surprise. According to her will, she had left me $15,000. I read the amount several times, struggling to understand why she would leave me such a large sum when I had only lent her small amounts of money over the months.CONTINUE READING