"You're wrong," replied a Guardian Angel. "Today was an excellent example."
"When you took your walk today," the Angel continued, "You came across a pebble on the road, and you kicked that pebble off to the side."
"So what," asked Tom.
"Turn on your TV," replied the Angel. "I'm going to show you what would have happened if you had not done so."
On the screen Tom saw a bike rider going fast on a racing bike with thin tires. "Now let's assume you didn't kick that pebble off to the side," said the Angel.
Just then, Tom saw the thin tire hit the pebble at a bad angle, and the bike rider flew off the bike and hit his helmeted head on the pavement.
He was critically injured, and was rushed to the hospital for emergency surgery to relieve the pressure on his brain.
It took a year for that bike rider to recover and meanwhile his business suffered and his firm had major employee layoffs.
Because of losing their jobs, those employees couldn't pay their bills for a long time, and five of them, along with their families, lost their homes.
Children's college tuitions couldn't be paid, nor health insurance maintained, and in one case, a spouse became very ill, and they couldn't afford the medical bills.
"That's what would have happened," said the Angel, "Had you not kicked that pebble off to the side."
"But because you did kick that pebble off to the side, here is what happened." Tom watched as the bike rider rode by unharmed, unaware of what would have happened to him.
There was no brain surgery, his firm prospered and it hired more people, while giving raises to those employees it already had, and better health insurance.
"What do you think Tom," asked the Angel. "You can see that you do important things even when you are unaware of them, and this is just one of many important things you've done."
"I never knew until now," Tom replied, "The difference each person makes in the lives of others, even if he or she is unaware. We all have important roles to play."
Dick
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