This is a story about kindness. There is a homeless man named Michael who we often see near our apartment. We met him about a year and a half ago when Katie climbed up on the bench he was sitting on and started talking to him. We chatted briefly and went on our way. We see him almost every day now. If I have snacks like granola bars I stop and give him one but if not, we still stop to chat for a minute.
There is a homeless man named Michael who we often see near our apartment.
When I was pregnant with Isabelle, I saw him every day when I jogged. He always cheered me on and asked how the pregnancy was going. Over the past year and a half I have seen him start working odd jobs in our area like landscaping and dog-walking. He is in cleaner clothes as of late and seems to be in better spirits.
He told her that three was a very special age and pulled his money out of his pocket.
We saw Michael today on our way back from the beach and the girls and I stopped to say hi. He asked Katie how old she was and she said three, and that it was just her birthday. He told her that three was a very special age and pulled his money out of his pocket. I saw some ones, a twenty, and a five dollar bill. He handed her the five and told her to put it in her piggy bank and save it for something special. I insisted she give it back over and over, but he refused to take it. You can only refuse a gift so many times before you become the rude one, so eventually I said okay and Katie thanked him.
I have a lot more than he does, and I don’t give back nearly as much as I could.
The fact that he gave Katie five dollars when he has so little brought tears to my eyes. It made me think, I can do better, too. I have a lot more than he does, and I don’t give back nearly as much as I could. I think we’ll put together some blessing bags this week and hand them out to some of the homeless population in our area. It’s usually something we do on Thanksgiving but there’s no reason why we can’t do it more often. We always have plenty of food in our house, and we are so fortunate for that. What’s something that happened in your life that made you realize how grateful you are for all the blessings in your life?