"As regards love of neighbor, may we give according to the measure with which our Divine Master has given to us.
Then we truly will love each person as ourselves."
- St. Jane de Chantal
An Act of Love Goes a Long Way
By Elizabeth McGinn '19
Two summers ago, I had the privilege of going on a service trip to Ollantaytambo, Peru. One day on this trip, a group of us crammed into a tiny bus to bring toothbrushes, toothpaste, and soap to a mountainous community. I sat on this extremely bumpy bus ride, feeling nauseous and thinking about the simplicity of these basic necessities. These families are living in poverty and I yearned to make a greater change than just a toothbrush. Even though I wished to do more, I underestimated the value of what we were about to do.
What I didn't realize was that these children had never seen a toothbrush before. The soap, toothpaste, and toothbrushes were life-changing for them. We taught them how to use all of these hygiene products and their eyes lit up like we were bringing them bars of gold. The smiles on their faces as they brushed their teeth for the first time are an image that I will never forget. To me, these products are a routine in my life and I rarely even think twice about them, but for these families, their lives were about to be significantly impacted. No act of generosity is too small, whether it's your time, energy, money, or simply your love, it can affect others more than you realize.
Generosity is a virtue that is practiced without even realizing it, because generosity becomes a lifestyle. When I was younger, I saw generosity in the giving of material things. I would always show great gratitude to my parents on Christmas for their generosity in buying me presents. Yes, of course, this was very generous of them, but I was completely missing the point. Generosity is found in the little things, the time and thought they put into getting me a present that they knew would make me happy. This is where generosity can go unnoticed, because it is simply showing others how much you appreciate them and doing this out of genuine love.
So during this season of giving, work to show care and compassion towards others. Go the extra mile to show your love: be a friendly face in the halls, give someone a hug when they look upset, be generous with your time when you know a friend needs a listening ear: all of these actions feel so small, but I promise, as I learned in Peru, you never know how much something so small can mean to someone.
Elizabeth gave this talk to the student body at yesterday's all-school Thanksgiving Mass.
Live Jesus
Live, Jesus, Live ... so live in me
That all I do be done by thee.
And grant that all I think and say
May be thy thoughts and words today.
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Georgetown Visitation Preparatory School
1524 Thirty-fifth Street NW • Washington, DC 20007 • 202.337.3350
Special thanks to Cecilia Kane '16 for the banner photo.