I Don't Even Know His Name

I debated for a bit to write this. The biggest reason is that random act I did was not meant to tell anyone about. It was something private that I wanted to do from my heart. But, my thoughts around it are something I do want to share with you.

Yesterday I was driving around for work. I was on a pretty tight schedule and my eyes kept glancing from the road, to the GPS to the clock. I had to get an oil change at 6 p.m. and was heading out about 50 miles one-way from my office.

I took my turn off the highway and at the stop light stood a man in the cold carrying a cardboard sign that read, "Homeless God Bless You." I was on the phone with my mom and I said, "I wonder what to think about this guy." Well, in about 1.5 minutes I thought alot. And, I had this nagging feeling to  not think, but help, regardless of what I think.

The nagging feeling wouldn't go away. The car in front of me rolled down their window and handed the man at $1 bill...or so I think...it could have been more. So, I listened to that nagging voice and dug into my purse. I actually had cash on me, that alone is a bit of a miracle. I pulled out two bills...two $5 bills. My first reaction was, "I'm not giving him $10, good grief." But the voice said..."Just give him $10, are you so hard up, so unblessed that you can't give up $10?" I agreed. I have it to give away. That $10 may mean way more to him than it will ever to me. How many people just drive by or hand him some loose change or just $1. Maybe the $10 helped him get out of the cold sooner. Maybe it didn't.

So, as I rolled down my window he approached my car like a creature of habit. He knew and smiled at me. His face was pink from the cold and he lacked most of his teeth. But still, he smiled. I handed him the money and said, "Take care of yourself" and he said, "God bless you."

I tend to be on the naiive side, I'll admit. But I felt like I was really helping him.

It's so easy to judge inside our warm cars. I have heated seats for goodness sakes. You can see people give looks, sneers or people thinking, "get a job," or "why doesn't he just go to a homeless shelter." It's not that easy. I've always said this. And, I've always had to listen to my opponents.

When I worked downtown I was always a target for the homeless. I talked to them, one of them hugged me, which prompted the HR people looking at me out the window to freak out. One invited me to his home at the downtown YMCA. Most of them smelled of alcohol or had an obvious mental disability. And most people would never look them in the eye...Look down, don't make eye contact, you'll pass them in a minute and forget what you just saw.

I can't do that. They're people, regardless. They have a soul. You can see it in their eyes and in their smile if you dare to look. They have a name. Their mother named them as newborn children brought into this cruel, unfair and judging world.

I don't know their stories. I may not ever find out. But I feel all we can do is to give the homeless a little help and ask them their name. Look them in the eye and smile. Treat them like people.

You never know what the future holds for you. And, I hope never devastation like the homeless endure. May people always treat you with dignity and respect--regardless if you're standing on the side of the road praying for the goodwill of people, or running a company and people depending on you for your goodwill.