Greg Smith is the founder of Hybrid Athletes LLC in Orlando, Florida. He thanks his family and his “two amazing parents” for helping him achieve his dreams.
Orlando, Florida resident Greg Smith suspected that the reason why so many homeless people asked him for money was because he wore an expensive-looking suit to work every day. But there was one homeless lady who caught his eye – and it was partly because she never actually solicited spare change.
Almost every day, Greg would pass the same homeless lady on his way to work. Instead of begging for money, he noticed her smiling and offering him a warm, polite greeting. Over the next few weeks, Greg began chatting with a woman named Amy Jo.
“Meet Amy Joe,” Greg wrote on his Facebook page. “For the last few weeks each Tuesday, Amy Joe and I meet in downtown Orlando. For about a week I saw Amy Joe in this corner every day and she never asked for money.
“She smiled and just said, ‘Good morning, sir. I wish you a nice day. God bless you,'” Greg continued. “I wear a suit every day to work, so I often get asked for money in town, but never once by Amy Joe.” The more he saw her, the more Greg wanted to know Amy Joe’s story, but he never could have anticipated the secret she was keeping.
Greg discovered that Amy Jo is a kind and gentle person who was simply dealt a rough hand in life. Friendly exchanges led to longer conversations, and soon after, Greg was taking Amy Jo to lunch every week.
The two unlikely friends sat down and enjoyed a meal.
But one day, Amy Jo confessed something about herself to Greg that changed the course of their lives forever. “Last week Amy Joe kind of dropped a b-o.m.b on me…” he wrote on Facebook.
“Every Tuesday, Amy Joe and I have lunch together now. For 30 minutes to an hour, I get to hear how positive she is even though she really has nothing. [But] last week Amy Joe dropped a b-o.m.b on me,” Greg said.
“She can’t read.” Amy Joe doesn’t s-m.o.k.e, drink, do d-r.u.g.s or anything like that. No one just taught her to read. Greg was shocked to learn that Amy Joe lacked this basic skill. “She told me how hard it was for her to find work not being able to read.”
“She began to tell me any money that she can collect she uses to check out library books that help with learning to read instead of buying food,” Greg continued. “This crushed me! She would rather learn to read to maybe find a job than eat!”
“I was blessed with two wonderful parents and a family that always had the resources to provide me with whatever I wanted to do,” he admitted. “Amy Joe didn’t.” Greg was stunned by the news and decided to do something very special for his new friend and lunch date. “So now not only do Amy Joe and I sit and have lunch,” he began, “I’m teaching her to read. I rent one library book a week and we read it together [on] Tuesday and she practices on her own throughout the rest of the week.”
It should be noted that while most American libraries don’t charge for library cards, people like Amy Joe – who don’t have a permanent address – have no choice but to pay for their books. It doesn’t seem fair, but that’s how the system works.
“I wanted to share this because maybe this can lead to someone helping another person,” Greg continued. “There are a lot of people like Amy Joe, but not all of them are hungry or homeless or hurt. Some could be your family or friends.”
Watch the video below to see why strangers from all over the world are now sending Greg messages of gratitude:
Greg pointed out that it wouldn’t take much effort. “Helping someone can be as simple as saying hello and smiling. I have been fortunate enough in my finances that I can take care of Amy Joe, so that’s what I’m going to do.” He ended his post with this thoughtful line: “You never know what you can do for someone until you try. Who is your Amy Joe?”
How beautiful! Hopefully, more people will follow Greg’s example and do all they can to be generous to others who are less fortunate. There is always someone who deserves your love and kindness!
