– C.S. Lewis
A few weeks ago, I did something I swore years ago I would never do again: I gave a homeless person money. (Before you judge me as some kind of Scrooge, I started keeping the homeless at a safe distance years ago for a good reason: I was groped and accosted one too many times. The night a drunk man grabbed me and planted a wet kiss right on my mouth after I gave him a couple of bucks, I decided I was not going near the homeless ever again!) Then a few weeks ago, an old, toothless man hobbling with a cane asked me for money, and something made me stop, really look at him, and dig my wallet out of my purse. A moment later, he was walking along with me, and I was hearing his story: He was 18 when he was drafted and sent to Vietnam. 18 months later, he was shot in the hip, which is why to this day, he has to use a cane. After that, he went to UCLA, got a degree, and worked for a corporation for 15 years. When that corporation went out of business, he couldn’t get a job, so he ended up working in the fishing industry in Alaska for another 15 years. When he spoke of those years in Alaska, I could tell that he was truly happy then. I keep imagining the boy he might have been at 18 when he got drafted, and what he might have done had he not been sent off to war. I regret that I never asked his name, for I will remember him always. Everyone we meet has a story of heartache and joy, love and loss: everyone has an interesting tale to tell if we are awake and present and really listening.