TheBanyanTree: We have so much...

[Laura]

Larry and I were out on an errand today, sitting at a red light, when we saw
a person sitting on the side of the road, with the ubiquitous cardboard,
hand lettered sign.  We mostly just ignored it.  You have to become
hard-hearted, or you'd end up giving away all your hard earned cash to winos
and junkies.

For some reason, this person drew my eye.  I couldn't tell if it was a male
or female.  We thought it was a female.  He or she was holding the cardboard
over the bottom of his/her face, as protection from the cold.  Very young
too, probably early 20s or so.  I read the sign without thinking about it.
It said:

HOMELESS
HUNGRY
NEED FOOD
and size 1 diapers
AND GOD'S BLESSING

I read it again.  Tears came to my eyes.  I read it to Larry.  When I got to
the diapers part, he went silent for a minute.

"I wish we could do something."  he said.

"I'd hop out and give her some money, but I don't have any cash."

"I do, but the light's about to change.  You wouldn't have time to run over
there and back."

So we drove on in silence.  After a minute, I said, "We could go back and
get her, and take her shopping."

"I was thinking we could stop by Wal-mart and get some diapers."

"And some food.   And give her 20 bucks or so."

"Yeah."

So we stopped at Wal-mart and got some size 1 diapers, a chicken salad
sandwich, an apple, and orange, and a bottle of water.  We headed back over
to where the person was sitting, and pulled into the parking lot behind her,
next to a beat up old car missing a rear window.  Larry beeped the horn as I
got out of the van.  The person sitting there looked our way, saw me with
two bags, and headed down the embankment toward me.  As soon as he got part
way down the hill I could see it was actually a young man.  Sparse, scruffy
beard, torn jeans with sweats underneath, hooded sweatshirt and a vest
against the cold.  No gloves, no scarf, only socks and athletic shoes on his
feet.  I handed him the bags, explaining that they held diapers and some
food.  He looked into my eyes and said, "Thank you.  Thank you so much."  I
handed him $40 to go with it, and he just looked at me and said, "God bless
you."  I touched his hand and said, "God bless *you*."

On the way home, we had to take the long way home.  Neither of us could keep
from tearing up.  We have so much now, however, we are very aware of the
fact, "There, but for the grace of God, goes I."
-- 
Laura
wolfljsh at gmail.com
http://wolfsinger.wordpress.com