Reflections From a Country Girl

A friend sent me a forwarded e-mail this morning.  I get so many of these on a daily basis that I almost trashed it. Something told me to take the time to read this one so I did. 

It was a story about a mother of three who was working diligently to complete a college degree.  The last class she had to take was sociology.  Her teacher gave an assignment to go out and smile at three people and document their reactions. 

She was a very friendly person and always smiled at everyone and said hello anyway. She thought it would be a piece of cake to do this assignment.

She and her family went to a local fast food restaurant that next Saturday and got in line.  Soon afterwards, two dirty and very smelly homeless men came up behind them. When she turned to see what everyone else was gazing at – the shortest of the two men smiled up at her. 

She returned the smile. 

The second man fumbled with his hands as he stood behind his friend. She realized the second man was mentally challenged and the blue-eyed gentleman was his salvation and advocate. He was his protector. 

As the family waits for their food the homeless men move up in line and said, ‘Coffee is all Miss.’ It was obvious that was all they could afford. She also suspected that if they wanted to sit in the restaurant and warm up, they had to buy something.

The mother smiled and asked the young lady behind the counter to give her two more breakfast meals on a separate tray. She then walked around the corner to the table that the men had chosen as a resting spot. She put the tray on the table and laid her hand on the blue-eyed gentleman’s cold hand.

He looked up at her, with tears in his eyes, and said, ‘Thank you.

‘When she sat down her husband smiled and said, ‘That is why God gave you to me, Honey, to give me hope.’ 

I’ve been struggling these last six weeks to help my friend, Jerry. Since the last segment he has become homeless and is living for a few nights from friend to friend.  He still has not qualified for emergency food stamps as of this writing.  We have looked for a place for him to stay based on little to no income and many of the waiting lists are two years.  

The agencies, red tape, duplication of efforts, the wait, the discouragement at the process and the often unkind or seemingly uncaring behavior of the staff we deal with has been very disappointing.  

There have been glimmers of hope here and there but they are few and far between.  

I have felt the need several times to go above the staff of some agencies just to get the basic services.  So often I have seen blank stares from staff behind counters where people stand, one after one, searching for some hope in their lives during difficult times.  They have been most often met with not even a smile or direct eye-to-eye contact and an apparent lack of desire to help those struggling souls with some basic information that would save them hours of waiting just to hear they didn’t have what they needed.  Instead of whispering among themselves behind the counter, it would be so helpful for them to offer a few words of encouragement, a smile, and to ask a few questions that could guide the needy to more efficient use of their time and energy as they search for hope.  In only one agency have I seen that.  I remember that man well and I look for that same encouragement in the others.  It is not there. 

Now I understand.  

My friend, Jerry, and every other person in crisis needs an advocate, a smile, some encouragement, and just a bit of unconditional acceptance when they are down.  I am honored to be that for Jerry.  

Now I understand why I am with him in this challenge.  Now I understand why the husband told his wife ‘That is why God gave you to me, Honey, to give me hope.’  I understand that, when we stand in those lines and hit roadblocks along the way, we are doing it together.  We smile at each other.  We do what we have to.  He is not alone.  He has a friend who is not judging him or indifferent to him.  

My wish for you today is that you go out and smile at three people.  Take note of their reactions. Be open to experiences that allow you to share your blessings with others.  Advocate for those in need. The world will be a better place.   

This entry was posted on Thursday, February 19th, 2009 at 8:59:am and is filed under Conflicts, Friendship, Living Life to the Fullest. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.