Coat for the Cold

I was cleaning out my closet and came across my old winter coat. Not long before, I had purchased a new one and it seemed like a waste for the old coat, which was still in great condition, to just hang there unused. I thought about all of the homeless people that pass their days in the streets around my office. With the winter cold and rain settling in, it seemed liked one of them could use the coat. So on my lunch hour, I drove down the street until I spotted a couple walking down the street. They look tired and cold, especially the woman, who clasped her hands to her chest in an effort to warm them. I pulled up, rolled down the window and asked them if they would like the coat. They said yes and took the coat. But then something happened that I will never forget. The women reach through the window and grasp my hand. Her eyes were tearing up and her hand shook with emotion as she gazed intensely into my eyes and whispered “thank you.” Those were the only words that passed between us, but I finally learned what the Buddha meant when he talked about a transmission outside of words.