Help.

"Helping doesn't mean giving - it means recognizing what is really needed."

It happened in front of a small shop, on a busy street. A man always sat by the door, hunched over, with a piece of cardboard in his hand. People hurried by, some threw money at him, others turned their heads away.

A woman passed by him every day. One day she stopped and gave him her coat. The man looked up gratefully, put it on, and smiled. The woman's heart was relieved: "I have done something good," she thought.

The next day she went to the same place. The man was sitting there, but the coat was gone. Instead, a new piece of cardboard with the words "HELP" written in bold letters on it. There was no sign of the coat.

The woman was disappointed. She wasn't angry, but rather uncertain. Had she done the wrong thing by giving? Or was it just in the wrong place?

A few days later, in a side street, he saw another man. He didn't beg. He stood leaning against the wall, shivering, and it was obvious that he was cold. The woman spoke to him. She didn't give him money, but asked if he wanted some tea. They went to a nearby bar together, sat down, and the man slowly warmed up. He started talking: he wasn't loud, he wasn't demanding, he was just tired.

When they parted ways, the woman didn't give him a coat, she didn't give him a large sum of money. Just a hot drink, an address for a place to warm up, and she said:

– Take care of yourself.

On the way home, he understood: it's good to help, but help doesn't become real because it's big, but because it's found.

Not all hands are the same.

And not all needs seem like cries.

Some need money.

Some need warmth.

Some need a word.

And some need someone to finally not only give, but also listen.

Goodness remains pure when it is not only given, but also received.

With attention.