HOMELESS MOTHER

I read THIS ARTICLE on a friend's facebook page and I wanted to share it here.

 

Remember:  Kindness has a ripple effect.

ROBERT

I have a saying on a wall that says 'do something that surprises yourself.'  

I thought of this yesterday as  I was on my way to our local Super Center when I noticed a man on the corner holding a sign. As car after car after car drove by him without stopping, he lowered his sign in a bit of frustration or sadness, I wasn't sure which. I told myself that when I finished shopping that I was going to see what that sign said and stop and help him. Then I remembered I needed to run down the street to get some fresh sweet corn before I headed out of town. This route took me back by him so I turned around to see what his cardboard sign read. It read "Everybody Needs Help Sometime"   

Aloud to myself I said, "You know you're right. Everybody does need help sometime." So I pulled over and walked to the corner to speak with him. He reminded me of one of my brothers. Much thinner than my brother but I assumed he was about the same age, had been through a similar type of life, and his hair and beard were similar to my brother's. 

I walked up to him and he immediately put his sign away and said, "God bless you ma'am." I think he was expecting me to give him money. I should not assume that though. He was very kind and mannerly. He was thin and it was easy to tell he hadn't bathed recently but his hair and beard were fairly well groomed.We talked for a few minutes on the street corner and then I asked him if he'd eaten lunch  (it was 1:20 in the afternoon). He had not. I asked if he wanted to walk across the street and I'd buy him some lunch. He said he'd like that.

I arrived before him and  waited at the front door of the restaurant. He carried a very small duffle bag which I could easily tell didn't have much in it. The sides of the bags sank in and it was very light weight.

He held the door for me, and we walked inside. I had no idea how people would react to him but I was prepared to defend him at that moment if need be.
I walked to the counter and told the young lady that he needed something to eat. When I turned around to ask him what he wanted, he was gone. I looked around and he had already gone to sit down at a table so I ordered a hamburger and french fries for him along with a drink. This man was truly thankful for something to eat.

We sat down together and began a conversation. I asked him his name. Robert. Robert told me he was 53 years old. I would not have guessed that. I had expected him to be at least ten years older than that. I sat with him while he ate and we had a short conversation about how he got to North Platte, his family, his future. As he began eating he said, "I didn't realize I was this hungry." My heart broke a little. I told him to eat as much as he wanted.

I asked him where he was going and he told me he wanted to get to Colorado to find work. He wanted to work in construction and I mentioned that although I didn't know who he'd talk to there was a lot of construction going on in this area as well. He then said, "That's the problem, I don't have any I.D." He said someone had stolen it. At this point a multitude of questions came to mind that I did not ask. The answers really weren't important anyway. He said both of his parents had died in the last five years and he had no other family.
He told me he had come from Kansas City on a train and that it had taken him 11 hours to get to North Platte. For reasons he didn't mention, he said he would never ride a train again. The conversation was slightly awkward but I felt he needed me to visit with him so I did. 

When he finished his meal I asked him if he'd like anything else, maybe some ice cream. "No ma'am, I'm full. Thank you."

I don't what Robert's circumstances are and frankly it doesn't matter. Whether he told me the truth about his journey or not, it's irrelevant. I'm just a person who saw another person who needed a little boost of kindness. 

I hope Robert finds his way home, wherever that may be. 

I don't know if this constitutes kindness but I got a fuzzy feeling from it so I'm sharing. :)

Today while at the grocery store I saw a little old lady standing at the end of the aisle beside her cart. As I approached her she asked me if this was the aisle for pie fillings. I told her I'd walk back and check. It was the correct aisle so I walked back to tell her. She just stood there, breathing a little heavy. I asked her if she would like me to walk back and get one for her, she said yes. After a brief discussion on whether to get cherry or blueberry and if she needed one can or two, I walked back down the aisle and picked up two cans of blueberry filling (because she likes her pies full) ha!!

She took the cans and headed off without a thank you but it didn't matter. I knew that I saved her a few steps and we had a quick conversation and I felt all the better for it.

Kindness

Typically when you hear the word 'sneaky' it has a negative connotation but occasionally it can have a positive undertone as well. After church Wednesday night, I sneakily (is that a word?) left a note on the seat at church addressed to our pastor. Basically it thanked him for his messages and challenging us to think outside our comfort zone. It expressed thankfulness for the love he showed the body of the church and for the time he gave when anyone needs him. As with all my other 'random' acts, I assumed I wouldn't hear a thing about it but this time was slightly different. This evening my hubby and I went out for supper with pastor and we had a great visit. As we talked pastor mentioned that 'someone' had left a note on the front seat after church and he talked about how nice it made him feel to know that he was touching people through his ministry in the church and how he simply appreciated being thanked. At this point I thought for sure hubby was going to spoil it by giving one of his goofy looks but he didn't so the secret is safe. :)
It seems so easy to say negative remarks yet so often we don't take the time to say a few simple words of encouragement. Whether spoken in kindness or spoken in hatred words are incredibly powerful; let's choose kindness,

Kindness #4

Kindness # 4

Last week I stayed in a hotel in Colorado so I could get to a very early appointment. As I was brushing my teeth that morning I had this thought come to mind that I should ‘tip’ the housekeeping person so I wrote a note that said, “Thank you for cleaning the room! Enjoy your day!" I put $10.00 with the note and left it on the nightstand.

I hope it started their day off as great as it did mine. :)

Kindness #3

This morning I went to a local elementary school where I had to be buzzed in by the front office and had to look into a camera before being allowed inside; yet another sign of the changing world in which we live and yet another sign that we all need to show a little more kindness and caring to others. 

The school’s main office was busy with teachers going in and out, the halls had lines of students changing classes and there was energy only children can generate. J I handed the secretary of bright red bag with the word LOVE on it and told her I’d like her to give this to someone who had a rough week or someone who could just use a little pick me up. 

“Oh,” was her response with a puzzled look on her face. The other teachers in the office at the time stopped talking and looked at me. I smiled and told the secretary that I thought everyone could use a little pick me up now and then. Once the initially shock wore off she smiled and thanked me and said she’d take care of it. 

I don’t know who it will go to but I hope whom ever gets it will have a little brighter day today.

Kindness #2

We all have that one special teacher who made an impact in our life. Mine was Mr. Stutzman. I’ve never told him what an influence he was on my life so I sat down and wrote him a letter. An honest to goodness handwritten letter explaining how he touched my life and thanking him for teaching me algebra. He also taught geometry which I told him was something I still don’t understand nor do I understand why I ever needed to know the Pythagoren theorem which I’ve never ever used! Ha!

My act of kindness #2 is as much a gift to myself as it is to honoring my former teacher. I hope this letter gives him a small indication of how important he was to a young girl going through the chaos of high school years.

 

Kindness DOES Matters

Kindness can change things. Maybe it won’t change the world but there is something powerful in an act of kindness. A moment of goodness that allows us to forget about the ugliness for an instant. And if for one instant we can see the world as a better place, it’s worth its weight in gold. Kindness is a choice, so that’s my goal, to find ways of simply showing more kindness because heaven knows the country could use more of it.  

Sometimes the hardest part is just getting started… I’ve been thinking of this for a few weeks now and I’ve been trying to come up with a plan. You know how much I love plans! But today it wasn’t my plan, it was God’s plan. I was headed to do some shopping at our local super-center, all the while talking to God about what I had in mind. I prayed that I would be led in a direction he saw fit. In the next block, literally, the next block, I see a man sitting on the side of the street. He has a sign propped up in front of him but I can’t read what it says because I’m driving up on the backside of him. I knew immediately that I needed to do something. I decided to see exactly what the sign said in hopes I would be led in a certain direction. The sign simply said, “Homeless, please help.” We live a small town, at least in big city comparisons and I know there are people who ‘work the system’ and take advantage of others who try to help but I have to believe in the goodness of mankind so I believe that people who are in need of help should catch a break occasionally. I decided to stop at the local eatery he was sitting across from and get him something to eat. I then purchased a gift card from same eatery and gave it to him. He thanked me graciously and was very appreciative. It’s by far the best money I spent today.

Each day we have the CHOICE to be kind. It only takes a moment of our time to brighter someone else’s day. Pass It On! When you drop a simple act of kindness into the pond, you never know how far the ripples will go.