You Are My Budget!

Last Wednesday, someone had dropped off three big bags of books, so I shuffle our "open-source" bookshelf to make some extra room.  Just then, I notice a book with yellow stickies standing out, so I open it up.

"Reach Out In Love: Stories Told by Mother Teresa."

The tallest yellow-sticky was on page 160, so I just glance the title of the story on that page -- "You Are My Budget."   Curious, I read further:

"Money?" says Mother, "I never think of it.  It always comes.  If God wants a work to be done, He sends the means.  If He does not give the means, He does not want that work.  So why worry?"

In her lifetime, money came abundantly and often unexpectedly.

One day, the director of a large multi-national company from Mumbai came to Calcutta and called on Mother.  After introducing himself as Mr. Thomas, he said: "Mother, may I ask you what your budget is for the next year?"

Mother answered, "I have no budget.  How can I know at the beginning of the year how many Mr. Thomases, how many Mrs. Thomases, and how many Miss Thomases will come and tell me, 'We have a property to hand over to the Missionaries of Charity?"  So I make no budget.  You are my budget.

Mr. Thomas then explained that his multinational company had a large warehouse in the center of Mumbai.  They wished to shift to another area and they were considering donating to the Missionaries of Charity.  Some time later the donation was effected.

How cool!  Considering the striking similarities with the CharityFocus mindset, I closed the circle of sharing with this story of about the power of being an instrument and trust in self-organization. 

Later, a woman comes up to me and says, "Did you know that Mother Teresa passed away on this very day, 10 years ago?!?"  Actually, I didn't.  Wow. :)