It's a story, short but sweet.  Truly both.   I was talking to a mom a couple weeks ago about my tendency to strike up conversations with strangers and to become engrossed in their stories.  At a Christmas party a year ago that happened.  There was a man who had the same condition as our son and had played wheelchair basketball.  As we talked about all that he shared how he grew up in Africa but as a young adult his host nation had a revolution.  Europeans were deported back to their countries of origin and for his family that was Portugal although it had been generations since they lived there.  

We had just been to Portugal and I was saying how taken I was with the local tile art and so sad I couldn't bring any back.  We had only carry on suitcases however on that trip.  

This is where the story gets really wonderful. : ) 

So as I was encouraging this younger mom to take time to listen even to perhaps eccentric, chatty people my husband mentions that this young man messaged him.  Turns out he had come back from a visit to Portugal and lugged this set of tiles back with him for me. 

Moral of the story, no bit of warmth you send out into world and no bit of investing you do in other people is forgotten. Everyone has a story. The tiles will forever remind of his.

Invest.  Listen.  Care.  It matters and it is noticed.