Thanks For Giving

I saw him, night before last, walking down Orange Blvd. with the bag he always carries, wearing the same shoes, the same pants and the same old dirty coat. His hair and beard are white and his face grimy.  He walked slowly and carefully as if his feet ached, wandering to find a meal, a comfy spot to rest his head, or maybe even a smiling face.  I know it is highly possible that he might have only found 1 out of  3... 

I was returning from  grocery shopping and felt this urge to stop and do what?  I don't know. My heart struggled with what to do.  I decided to drive on home and even now I feel guilty.  Why didn't I stop?  I've talked to him before when he sits by the trash dumpster by the library but that doesn't make us buddies, does it?  I can still remember the day we "talked", it was hot with no breeze and as I crossed the street toward him, he lowered his head, eyes fixed on the ground.  I said hello as I came closer and he looked up but not directly at me. He said hello. 

I wonder where he is tonight on this Thanksgiving Eve.  Is it the library bench that will be his home?  Or the dumpster by Denny's?  Did he find a shelter open for the holiday and is he eating a warm meal as I type? Or is his tummy numb from not enough good nourishing food? Is his body ringing from a rotted out nervous system and his head thick from lack of a decent night's rest? I don't know.  I do know this much, I am thinking of him.  He reminds me of how this universe would be if Satan were in charge.

Old man, you don't know me and odds are high that you will never  get on a computer to see this website but I want to memorialize you. I want to acknowledge you and tell the world that you exist, that you matter and that you are a son of God.  I pray that someday I can tell you that face to face but that would take energy to leave my home and find you.  I pray for that energy.

Not just on Thanksgiving should we be thinking of how blessed we are but rather every single day.  If you get the privilege of being in a warm home with family and friends and delicious food, think of those who are on the streets and maybe even say a little prayer for them. You just never know if you or I will be the answer to that prayer.

Happy Thanksgving!