By the way, has anyone ever stopped to wonder why is it in life that our good deeds are always overlooked and our bad deeds are always in the spotlight? It is very rare that one will remember that good “thing” you did for them in their life but once one bad incident happens; an enormous issue is made out of it instantaneously. It is quite interesting how that never fails to happen to us every so often. C’est la vie, n’est-ce pas? (That’s life, right?)

So as I may proceed to continue with the incident, I do also want us to keep in mind that if there is anything good that we are doing out there, it is not for anyone in particular. It is for ourselves and that goodness that we carry out, will give us peace of heart and mind. It is God that knows what is in our hearts at all times and these things never go unnoticed and I truly and honestly believe that.

It so happens that one mid-afternoon last July, my friend had received a call from a passionate though frustrated customer. Now mind you, she had happened to be quite an elderly lady in her late 80’s. She had started her conversation that day yelling, screaming and cursing at the top of her lungs however my friend stayed calm. I was surprised at her reaction after she had told me this. After a few minutes the lady started crying on the phone. Obviously very astonished at this point my friend had naturally wanted to know what was wrong. She went on to explain to her how she had 3 sons that had been married off and had left her behind. They had not looked back at her once or even had called to check up on her once in a while just to see how she was doing. Last week, she had claimed that she had slipped and fallen in her bathtub while taking a bath and had managed to break her hip and could not get out of the tub. She had apparently spent 3 days in the tub just surviving on water only because she could not get herself out and none of her 3 sons had even made a courtesy call to their mom to check on her well-being and health. She was totally helpless that day.
After approx. 3 days, her landlord had noticed she had not come down to check her mailbox in the apartment building, which had forced him to go up to check on her. As he was ready to knock on her door, he heard cries of help coming from inside the apartment.
She had spent almost a week in the hospital recovering from this ordeal. The aftermath of this mishap left a bad taste in her mouth for her inconsiderate sons.

Apparently, my friend claimed that she had wanted to talk things out on the phone only also because she was so lonely and no one cared for her hence this incident that had happened, left her even more fearful of her health. She had asked for a promise from my friend. She had asked if my friend would be able to do her a favor and call her every Saturday just for a few minutes just to make sure that she was ok and whether all was alright. My friend agreed and took upon her shoulders the responsibility to call her every Saturday, which she had consistently done for 8 months straight.

Until one day, my friend had gotten a call from one of her sons from the elderly lady’s lawyer’s office. They had asked her to drop by for a few minutes that day so she agreed on doing so. When she got there, she had learned that the elderly lady had died only a week before and left my friend’s name and contact # in her diary for the reason they were able to trace my friend and call her in. Not only did my friend have to bear the bad news which made her come home and sob uncontrollably, but to her surprise she had left my friend with $200 and a thank you card for all my friend had done for her. Which was just a simple few minutes call every Saturday. Even I had become emotional and tears had filled my eyes when my friend had told me this story. I was so surprised at the good deed and gesture my friend had put forth by just lending a hand to her and acknowledging her presence as a human being.

After my friend had shared this with me, my respect has risen for her tenfold. I admire her for her “ Noble Deed ” that she carried forth just to make the elderly lady’s last days all the more merrier and it cost nothing other than a few minutes of her Saturdays.

Today, I must say that by sharing this story with you all, I have given praise and credit where credit was due.

I think that after learning about this incident, I am sure it would make you want to do something good for someone out there just for the sake of doing so. I am a strong believer in the saying that goes, “What Goes Around Comes Around”. If we take care and do good for others, we will certainly have good done upon us one day or another. We must always keep that in mind.

Enter Jim and Star – a Canadian couple who believed they could turn this town into something great. Their dream was very ambitious – to build a resort for retired Canadians, which would include a golf course, a five-star hotel and a virtual-medicine hospital (the first in Central America). For these purposes, they bought a lot of land on a cliff overlooking Pedregosa, a virgin beach where monkeys, oblivious to the very little human presence, still come down from the trees to play on the white sands. Pedregosa is the nearest beach to Matapalo, but is virtually inaccessible unless by 4×4.

As the project started to get developed, Jim and Star decided to invest in Matapalo and its people. They built a community center, donated musical instruments to the elementary school and opened the first free public-access computer lab in the country. This is where I came in, back in 1999.

I was brought in as Project Manager for the Matapalo computer lab. There was much to be done. First, we were able to find the perfect place – an abandoned annex in the local police station, right next to the town’s school. Then, we got a Canadian engineering company to send us their old computer equipment. We got a lot of useless junk, but in the end we were able to put together 10 working computers. All of these computers were different – some were 486′s and some 386′s, some had color monitors, some didn’t… the more advanced models had 32 MB of RAM and a hard drive of 100 MB… and there were only a couple of those. Due to space and memory constrains, we only managed to run Windows 3.1, and very early pre-office versions of Word, Excel and PowerPoint. We also had PrintShop Deluxe, a wonderful little program called Banner and some games, like the very first version of Prince of Persia.

After the lab was set-up, we trained a few local people on how to use the computers and these programs. Most of them had never even touched a computer before, so we needed several sessions to get them to a decent level because these guys were going to run the lab. Luckily, Luke and Louise, another Canadian couple who were friends of Jim and Star, relocated to Matapalo and they took over the lab.

After a few months, we were invited back to Matapalo for the first big computer lab graduation… what an amazing sight that was… under Luke and Louise, the whole town had become computer literate one way or another… and that day they were all receiving certificates for different things… Imagine a 65 year old woman receiving an “Advanced Achievement on Prince of Persia” certificate… simply amazing. I set up a satellite conference so that several people in Canada, who had different degrees of involvement, could also attend the ceremony through the internet – the first Webcast ever in Guanacaste! Our guest of honor was the Costa Rican Minister for Science and Technology and one of the major Costa Rican TV channels even reported the whole thing on one of their prime news shows. What an amazing day that was!

Today, I go back to Matapalo for the first time in 8 years to attend Jim’s funeral. The town remains pretty much the same, except that now they have a couple of supermarkets and a few other things. The Pedregosa project has been in a stand still for a couple of years due to legal and financial trouble. Luke and Louise are still there running the computer lab in the same old place. Now, they have better workstations and internet access, and there is a plaque with my name on it acknowledging me as one of the founders of the lab. Still, Matapalo strives on… and today the whole town is in this little chapel to honor the life of someone who has really made a difference here… there will be a parade later on, the band will play, the kids will march… according to Jim’s wishes, there is going to be a big party with traditional dances, food and fun for everyone… then, we will all help plant a tree next to the community center and spread Jim’s ashes on the soccer ground… this is a loving tribute to a great man from a thankful town.

Not many people knew who Jim Sparrow was, and many people may not still have ever heard of the little town of Matapalo in Guanacaste, Costa Rica… but to those of us who were lucky enough to ever know him, this guy really made a difference in our lives… because of him, we are all better people today… I know I am.

You should always give more encouragement and support to others than you expect in return. I believe that it will come back in some form or another. It is easier said then done that is for sure, but one can still make an effort to do so.

I think, in anything we do, we need to be recognized and supported. It provides a real sense of motivation and builds self-confidence to move on in life. It helps one to achieve better and reach for his/her goals whether they be short or long-term.

Now this encouragement does not always come from every person you meet in life or from every single family member. It takes a lot for one to provide positive commentary on someone else’s writing abilities or other artistic work. I think it is easier to criticize someone rather than to praise them. I find that honest and loyal friends are found in numbers these days. It is not often that one will come across a person who will go out of his/her way for the other individual and expect nothing in return. I find that there is a cost associated with everything in life nowadays, be it big or small. Even smiles are not free these days and even they will cost us one thing or another.

If you call someone your friend and you sincerely think of him/her as “A Friend ” then there should never be competition amongst you nor should there be jealousy or bitterness of any kind in friendship. A true friend will always be proud of his/her best friend’s achievements no matter what. There should be ongoing support given to that person so that they can achieve and perhaps overachieve. Don’t ever stop to think what is in it for you before you even attempt to lend a hand. Our good and bad deeds are accounted for and we will be rewarded for those by God and no one else.

I think the person that has encouraged me the most to go and do things in life without thinking twice has been my mother. She has always shown confidence in me and my abilities. At times where I thought I would fail and not be able to come through, she actually came through for me by being there and going out of her way time and time again. That is something that I will never forget, and I am sure it will allow me to do the same for my kids in the future.

I also find that the times we need support the most is when we don’t do as well as we thought we would with the task-on-hand. Of course our most natural reaction would be to become frustrated and disappointed at ourselves for not being able to get it right the first time, no matter what it may be. However, did we ever stop to think that perhaps we will hold little or no value for that something if we actually get it the very first time? So there are in fact reasons for everything and that only God knows and does what is in our best of interest.

And lastly, keep on celebrating the encouragement and support that you give to your friends and loved ones each and everyday. Don’t waste your time in being competitive or revengeful as that will get you nowhere in life at all in the end.

Make that someone’s day special. I am sure by doing so not only will that person be happy, but you will be even happier from within knowing that you did the right thing.