RELATED STORIES

• Tales of doing good reveal the satisfaction of helping others

More News Columnists

• Bill Slakey: As Trib closes, many questions remain unasked
• Phill Casaus: Don't cry for us, Albuquerque; it was worth it
• Joline Gutierrez Krueger: My Wall of Fame holds memories of people, stories that have mattered

MOST RECENT TRIB STORIES

• ABQTrib.com to remain available
  08:48 a.m., February 25, 2008
• Congressman is indicted
  08:37 a.m., February 23, 2008
• Series of attacks target Green Zone
  08:36 a.m., February 23, 2008
• Iran is defying U.N., agency says
  08:35 a.m., February 23, 2008
• Waterboarding approval probed
  08:34 a.m., February 23, 2008

TRIB IN THE BLOGOSPHERE*

• Ty Murray Invitational thrills fans in Albuquerque
• Is Rome Burning?
• Ominous Skies
• The Road to Invalidation
• Albuquerque company participates in “Extreme Makeover: Home Edition”

*Note: The Tribune does not create and is not responsible for the blogosphere's headlines and stories. These links to blogs talking about ABQTrib.com are automatically generated. Use them at your own risk.

STORY TOOLS

• E-mail story
• Comments
• iPod friendly
• Printer friendly

SHARE THIS STORY [?]

She looked weary. That was the first thing I noticed.

Her lip was cut and freshly scabbed over. She looked tired.

I was glad she came.

Sunday mornings are my favorite. There is always warmth at church. There are always smiles. And my Sunday school class seemed like the perfect place for this young woman. She looked as though she could use warmth. She could use a friendly smile.

She began to sob.

She told us of her cheating husband and her ailing mother. She had three little girls to look after and no place to go.

She was scared. She left the kids with a friend for the day so she could sort things out. She walked to our church.

"Let's see love in action," our class leader said as he walked out the door.

It was up to us, seven people in our 20s, to help.

We packed her bags. We booked her a hotel. We bought her lunch. We made plans to take her and the children to dinner. We booked her tickets on the next Greyhound to Missouri, where her ailing mother lived.

My husband gathered coloring books and crayons for the girls.

"It's going to be a long road for them, and they're leaving all their toys behind," he said.

The short version of what happened next is probably best. The next morning, we discovered that this young, teary-eyed woman wasn't exactly being truthful about her situation.

It appeared she really only wanted some money, and there might not have been any children at all.

We were, at first, devastated.

Fleeced at church? How did we not see it coming? Why didn't we ask more questions?

Then reality set in, and this reality was beautiful:

We'd do it all again.

And on Earth, peace, good will toward men.

That's the King James Version of the last part of Luke 2:14. It's the one most of us - thanks to Hallmark and a handful of carols - have memorized.

Reality is, good will isn't merely a notion. It means giving - of our hearts, our energy, our time - without expecting anything, even truth or gratification, in return.

It means love in action.

And I'm grateful to be in the thick of it, every Sunday morning.