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Truth is, the people who have the least are the most generous. I've found this to be the case time and time again. A friend sent me this video a few weeks ago and i was blown away by it:
Caring for the least , is the greatest gift we can possess..
Those that live through the hard times understand those who need a helping hand.
Those that use people pretending to be in need , are the ones who make it hard for some to give . Today we have them too and it really is a sin to pretend to be in need and take from others making it even harder for those who are truly in need.
By the grace of God go I.. we never know if we will be homeless because of circumstances. The world is changing too fast.
I had a homeless guy approach me at a gas station and ask for two dollars ( Arco was running two hotdogs for two dollars, and he said he was hungry ). It was well over a hundred degrees, so I gave him a five and told him to get a beer to wash it down with. When he came back out, I was still pumping my gas, and he wanted to chat.
He was working graveyard at the Jack In The Box up the street, and the manager allowed him to sleep outside the premises. He was waiting for his first paycheck so he could get a weekly rental.
He was a young guy, and had made some bad choices, but he was trying.
He didn't pester anyone else at the gas station, and thanked me profusely for my time and the meal.
Most panhandlers you see are scammers, but this kid was genuinely down on his luck and needed a hand.
I hope he turned his life around.
I had a homeless guy approach me at a gas station and ask for two dollars ( Arco was running two hotdogs for two dollars, and he said he was hungry ). It was well over a hundred degrees, so I gave him a five and told him to get a beer to wash it down with. When he came back out, I was still pumping my gas, and he wanted to chat.
He was working graveyard at the Jack In The Box up the street, and the manager allowed him to sleep outside the premises. He was waiting for his first paycheck so he could get a weekly rental.
He was a young guy, and had made some bad choices, but he was trying.
He didn't pester anyone else at the gas station, and thanked me profusely for my time and the meal.
Most panhandlers you see are scammers, but this kid was genuinely down on his luck and needed a hand.
I hope he turned his life around.
Panhandlers are scammers for sure.
My last encounter with a homeless man: He was young guy walking down the street (late on a cold night) in tattered cloths, shoes were nearly walked out of, and wrapped in an old blanket. I live on a main highway, so it's rather wide and he was on the other side.
I was just coming home when I spied him, and I was moved to do something, I had to. I grabbed some cash and started yelling to get him to stop walking away from me. He stopped turned and as I approached he said "I didn't do anything, please don't hurt me" and that stopped me in my tracks for second. Overcome with emotion I said I wasn't angry and handed him the money begging him to get some food.
The look on is face was indescribable. It wasn't much ($20), as I really don't have much extra myself... but it was well worth it and I know it helped him, if just a little. Sometimes a little is enough.
My last encounter with a homeless man: He was young guy walking down the street (late on a cold night) in tattered cloths, shoes were nearly walked out of, and wrapped in an old blanket. I live on a main highway, so it's rather wide and he was on the other side.
I was just coming home when I spied him, and I was moved to do something, I had to. I grabbed some cash and started yelling to get him to stop walking away from me. He stopped turned and as I approached he said "I didn't do anything, please don't hurt me" and that stopped me in my tracks for second. Overcome with emotion I said I wasn't angry and handed him the money begging him to get some food.
The look on is face was indescribable. It wasn't much ($20), as I really don't have much extra myself... but it was well worth it and I know it helped him, if just a little. Sometimes a little is enough.
And that act of kindness will come back to you, threefold.
My last encounter with a homeless man: He was young guy walking down the street (late on a cold night) in tattered cloths, shoes were nearly walked out of, and wrapped in an old blanket. I live on a main highway, so it's rather wide and he was on the other side.
I was just coming home when I spied him, and I was moved to do something, I had to. I grabbed some cash and started yelling to get him to stop walking away from me. He stopped turned and as I approached he said "I didn't do anything, please don't hurt me" and that stopped me in my tracks for second. Overcome with emotion I said I wasn't angry and handed him the money begging him to get some food.
The look on is face was indescribable. It wasn't much ($20), as I really don't have much extra myself... but it was well worth it and I know it helped him, if just a little. Sometimes a little is enough.
I teared up reading this. Thanks for sharing.
When I was homeless I never begged, but in shelters there were often charity events from various organizations, mostly around Christmas.
Many of these events were real blessings... like the department store that allowed us to shop for $150 dollars worth of clothes. We got to choose anything we wanted in the store -- all to ourselves before it opened. I was sixteen and still wore clothes from when I was eleven. Everyone was nice to us and we didn't feel judged or looked down at all. I kept all of those clothes and wore them until they were in tatters. I finally let go of the last garment two years ago.
At another charity, we were given a free breakfast at a nice restaurant and the kids got presents from Santa. After eating nothing but surplus prison food and cans and cans of fruit cocktail and other donation foods (and gaining 30 lbs on that diet), it was the first nice meal I'd had in over a year.
A bad charity experience was from two high school girls. For Halloween they decided to bake cupcakes for homeless children (I guess to check off volunteer service on their portfolios). They had their little setup and were giving out cupcakes, and when they saw me they looked like deer in headlights and refused to look at me or talk to me when I tried to say hello. I guess my age hit too close to home for them. At the time, I was very hurt by their reaction and hid in a public restroom for the rest of the day, ashamed of myself.
It wasn't just the items that were a blessing but the taste of a normal life. Of being treated like a real person and not a taboo, a failure of a human being or a curiosity. Charity or giving relationships should emphasize the person (instead of the pity case) in a gesture of friendship; and I hope that word is spread more and more. It was over 10 years ago that I was homeless, but I still haven't resolved all the trauma, fears and guilt associated with the experience.
Truth is, the people who have the least are the most generous. I've found this to be the case time and time again. A friend sent me this video a few weeks ago and i was blown away by it:
Geez, thanks for posting that...it brought tears to my eyes.
A couple weeks ago the weather was in the low 40's and there was a young gal on a street corner who had nothing but a minidress and 4' heels to wear. I gave her 40 bucks. She sure appreciated it. I might give her 40 bucks again.
A couple weeks ago the weather was in the low 40's and there was a young gal on a street corner who had nothing but a minidress and 4' heels to wear. I gave her 40 bucks. She sure appreciated it. I might give her 40 bucks again.
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What street corner was this?
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