In my kitchen hangs a painting of a farmer. He holds a pumpkin in one arm and bends down to pick another one from the field. The corn stands tall behind him, and chickens wander past a nearby shed.

My husband has always loved the image, which was painted by his grandmother, but he came to appreciate it even more in the hours after her death. That was when his uncle, looking at the painting, pointed to it and said, “He taught me everything I know about generosity.”

The farmer—my husband’s great-grandfather—worked as a milkman whose daily stops at people’s homes gave him insight to their lives. He knew which of his neighbors were struggling to feed their families—and he responded by gathering food from his backyard garden in what is now the City of Toledo, Ohio, and distributing it on his rounds. My husband’s uncle remembers helping his grandfather fill many, many baskets and load them onto the milk truck.

He once asked his grandfather, “How do you know who needs the baskets?”

“You keep your eyes open, and you just know.”

We keep this painting in a prominent place in our home not only because it reminds us of a most loving and generous grandmother (and the uncles kind enough to let us have the painting), but because we hope it serves as a daily reminder of a beautiful and important lesson: keep your eyes open, see where the need is around you, and respond as you are able.

Of course, to be truly fruitful, such work must be guided by the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit helps us to see where the need is that we are most suited to respond to, and the Holy Spirit multiplies those efforts beyond our understanding—as is seen by the young boy (my husband’s uncle) who saw his grandfather practicing generosity and himself went on to be chairman of the board for a community hospital, a most loving husband and grandfather, and so much more.

Let us ask the Holy Spirit today, “Where shall I go, Lord? Send me!” (see Is 6:8). And even if the mission may seem small (wiping noses, offering a smile, sharing food with a neighbor), let us trust that the Lord can magnify even the smallest of yeses, and through such means, transform the world.