Self-Respect

I read this recently and I was surprised how it got to me.
"I heard my mom asking our neighbour for some salt. We had salt at home, so I asked her why she was asking.
She told me, "They don't have much money and they sometimes ask us for things. So I asked for something small that wouldn't burden them. I want them to feel as if we needed them too. That way, it will be much easier for them to ask us for anything they need."
(source unknown)
I must admit there is something about that I really like. I think it has to do with self-respect.
I know everyone has something important to give. It may not be what is valued by many, but it is there for the giving. Yet is seems to me some people’s self-respect can suffer due to a lack of being able to provide what is esteemed and treated as important. It is important, but it is not the only thing that is important.
I have felt for a long time that provision of needs was something built on. A person needs food and water. Shelter is good to have, as is safety, and I will do what I can to provide for those needs. Yet there is a question I ask myself. Is my giving born of my heart or emotions or both?
What is in my heart is an eternal thing. Emotions are Important yes. The most important? I don’t reckon so.
I also read at the same time a sentence I thought was a good one. “The time to help someone is when they need it, not when you feel like it.”
It amazes me how all this is dove tailing together for me. I have been asking myself, “how do I help the needy without becoming needy myself?” I would prefer help were not a one off. I honestly would prefer to help many rather than just one (though helping one can have an impact beyond my wildest dreams.)
To me it is better to be a part of someone’s answer than to be no answer at all.
Where I am at is that help is an attitude thing. Where I can help, I will. To me a person’s self-respect (mine and others) is built on both the eternal and temporal. Temporal is good for this life but for me, it is what happens next that is most important.