From Despair to Hope: Tom's Journey of Kindness performed by 9-year-old Alana Graves

Cage Free Voices Theatre

In this episode, we hear the story of Tom's Journey of Kindness, written by Alana Graves, Zoey Robinson, Kira Maxwell, and Alana Maxwell.

Tom's Journey of Kindness

Months passed, and Tom found himself in a worse position than before. He was forced to move out of his apartment and take to the streets. For days, he begged on the streets for money. Then he was shocked to see Jerry walking past wearing nice, clean clothes. Tom was embarrassed, but he had no choice. "Hey, will you spare me some change?" Jerry, surprised, didn't immediately respond.

"Do you remember me?" Tom, flushing, replied. "Of course. I'm sorry for how I treated you." "It's okay," Jerry said, smiling. He then gave Tom some money, reminding him to treat people how he wanted to be treated all the time.

Some time passed, and Tom went to an ice cream shop, a rare treat. He saw a little boy who did not have enough money to pay for the ice cream. Tom, remembering Jerry, decided to pay for the boy's ice cream, even if it meant he couldn't get one for himself. "Pass it along and treat people how you want to be treated all the time," Tom advised.

The ice cream man saw how nice Tom was despite his own suffering. A few days later, he reached out and offered Tom a job. Tom said yes, happily. The lesson of the story: be generous with your money; sharing is caring.