Thursday, February 22, 2018

Warming Hands - Meet Brian

Today my boyfriend and I stopped by the grocery store and I saw a man quietly flying a sign saying "anything helps." I stopped to say hi and ask what he needed...I've learned never to make assumptions, yet I anticipated it would be a request for food or a sleeping bag. Instead he told me about his DREAM of hand warmers.

I quickly introduced myself. He told me his name was Brian. Then he went on to describe how he stayed warm last night in a tent in the woods next to the Issaquah Transit Center...He placed his remaining hand warmers inside his sleeping bag. And when he awoke to snow, he was grateful to have that tiny bit of warmth. But he was out...no more hand warmers and night was approaching.
It's cold outside...lose your fingers cold....life and death cold...Fulfilling this need was simple and definitely a basic human need. We went to Target, got three bags of hand warmers, and brought them back to our new friend Brian.

My boyfriend added some extra warm gloves and a hat that he had in his truck...and you should have seen the reaction!  Pure gratitude...astonished...hopeful...amazed...all three of us :)
This Lent I've been contemplating HOPE.  I've also been considering the question posed by Claire of Assisi....can you look into the face of suffering and not walk away?  Today fulfilled both of those things...And it was so simple....just a quick "Hello!"

This is why the homeless are my teachers. I learned alot today.

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