It’s not every day that you get to witness the rewards of your effort and hear how you made a difference in someone’s life. Sure, someone begins coming to church, and you hope your one-time interaction with them helped bring them there. Or maybe a buddy sought your guidance, and their behaviors seem to mirror what you advised. We see how we may fit into someone’s tale, but we seldom realize how significant a part we really played.

Raquel, a 23-year-old woman, is one of the fortunate. Her anecdote of a small child she used to babysit made its way across the feeds of Tumblr and Reddit: “When I was 12, I babysat this kid for a few years and she would come to me and show me her art, pull me by my wrists and point it the works she’d produced over the week.” Rather of dismissing the little girl’s request, Raquel always took the time to appreciate the artwork at hand.

She even made it entertaining by explaining each masterpiece in the voice of a sports announcer. “What form! This coloring level! I haven’t seen such Crayola beauty in a long time. And what exactly is this? Why, Jeff, this is a genuine danger… She seems to have made… a pink monotone canvas… This hasn’t been tried since the winter of 1932… and I have to say, Jeff, it’s simply fantastic.”

Raquel’s imaginative little artist pal would “fall back laughing” every time she did the piece. “At the conclusion of each night, she’d ask me, ‘Did you truly enjoy it?'” And I’d respond sure and tell her about something I’d seen before tucking her up.” It’s been around 12 years since Raquel heard about the young girl. “She was recently accepted into three major art schools.”

She addressed a letter to me. Inside was a monotone pink photo of her when she was younger ‘Thank you to someone who recognized the best in me,’ it read. Raquel’s tale demonstrates that you never know how much your words and deeds will matter to someone else. May it motivate you to go out of your way today for someone in your life.