A beautiful response
Note: This is an email I received after we blogged about Hannah engaging someone in a park. I asked permission to share this, it is the core of what we are hoping to accomplish out here, namely education through story - an invitation to make changes in our world, safely. Enjoy this story from our dear friends:
Hey Chris and Steph!
I must have remembered this......
“Oftentimes this will lead to a good conversation, perhaps a discussion about their circumstance, if they’re aware of local resources, or when the last time they called their family, whatever comes up… and that for me is the real gift.
I just have to ask myself, if I was in such a tough situation, feeling invisible, ashamed maybe, lost in a hard world, sleep deprived or worse… what kindness would lighten my burden, even for a few minutes, or how would I want one of my own to be treated if they were far away from home and without a safe warm place to lay their head?”
AND this......
“She didn’t complicate her role, or risk the kids she was watching or herself. She didn’t over-engage by offering a ride, or attempting to be anything more than a connector to resources.”
Now....I want to share this story with you....
So Stephanie and I were pulling into Wegman's off 5th St. this morning as crazy mid-March snow was falling in VA. Usually the folks on the median with signs catch my attention (maybe a wave or a head nod) then I go about my life of having much more than enough.
But I noticed the young man on the median as someone who used to be a kid I knew maybe 20-25 years ago. I also thought of you guys engaging with the homeless. Steph and I agreed to get some food. A large hot coffee, breakfast sandwich, and a chocolate chip cookie....something I would have enjoyed eating ("first fruits" in a sense).
Parking my car and running it out to him....we caught up in conversation....we grasp hands....he was shaking....I gave him my hat. "I don't want to take your hat Mr. Small" he told me.....I quickly thought of the BOX of HATS sitting in our foyer at home...easy choice. I ask him if he wants prayer....we pray together. A man pulls up and says to him "you need a coat" this young man is shaking as the snow falls. The man in the car pulls away...maybe to get a coat...not sure.
I return to my car and see my coat (the one I like-the warm one) sitting on the back seat. THIS is a coat God spoke to my heart.....he needs one now...maybe the other guy is coming back....maybe not. My friend gets the coat....he already looks warmer in my bright green coat (it will be good in traffic too). We give each other a hug. (I felt safe and sensed he did not do this often) I ask him about his ability to find resources in C'Ville- The Haven, PACEM, etc. He is aware and utilizes these things--things I would not have known unless I had been around you Chris and Steph! The kingdom at work! Working as it should!
I head back and pick-up Steph with our groceries and leave Wegmans. As we approach the same intersection there is someone new with a sign....Steph says "Maybe we should have gotten him something too" Just then, the car in front of us rolls down their window and the individual hands out a bag of food. I realized ...that was for him to do...not me.
Being in the moment......reacting without preconceived notions but with a tool-belt of understanding of how the "in the trenches" interactions with the homeless might take place.
Thanks for keeping it real....and for sharing your experiences..they ripple!
Love,
David and Steph
