“I know you, and you do me a world of good.” My daughter was greeted with these words as she entered the room of a Pleasantview resident, where she works. We chuckled later when she told us about it. Why? Well, it was cute, but beyond that, it struck a chord within me. If that statement can be said about any of us, we have successfully carried out an important mission in life.

It reminds me of a story my sister told. She lost her not very common, more expensive than usual, hubcap one day. Because she had an idea of the general area she had lost it in, she scanned the sides of the road carefully every time she drove that way. Then one day, she saw it. Her hubcap had been propped up carefully at the base of a road sign, so she could spot it easily. Somebody had done her a world of good.

Mother’s Day is an effort to say, “Mom, you do me a world of good.” In this imperfect world, I know that’s not always true, but it’s wonderful when it is! I remember my mother standing by the front door with a cup of orange juice for me to gulp down on my way out the door to school. It’s one of many images I have of her doing me a world of good.

The other day I went shopping with a friend. I don’t know how it happened, but she ended up pushing the cart while I buzzed along, filling it with stuff. It felt strange, like she was being my servant. I protested, but she smiled and insisted. She did me a world of good.

Sometimes, doing someone a world of good means letting them do you a world of good. My brother tells the story of a farmer who just couldn’t seem to communicate with his neighbor. One day, he needed help. He called all his good friends, but for some reason, it didn’t suit anyone. Finally, he hesitantly called his neighbor, who readily came to his aid. It was the beginning of a friendship.

Doing people a world of good requires us to think beyond our own interests, problems and pride. That takes maturity. It sometimes seems next to impossible to do. But it’s a creed worth following. I would consider the statement a supreme compliment— “I know you, and you do me a world of good.”