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Day: January 10, 2014

January 10: Homeless Veteran Timelapse Transformation

Yeah, it’s Feel Good Friday, but I’m getting serious, considering the weather we just suffered this week. And yes, you should feel good at the end of the video.

I first saw this hit my Facebook feed on my birthday last year, and it hit me hard when I took the time to watch. So let me tell my own story:

Back when I still had a full-time job, one of my tasks was to provide opportunities for the homeless to see a show. One day, I encountered a woman who wanted to see the show but managed to miss it because she didn’t understand the calendar very well. The shelter was located right in the same building where we were temporarily housed, and I was on my way to work on the show.

I brought the woman with me, and comped her in. Sure, she sat with the other folks who paid for their tickets, but we weren’t sold out and I thought the meaning of the show was important enough to share with her, even though she was unable to cover the cost of the ticket. And when the show was over, I took her back to her shelter, so she could be indoors for the night (it being December and all).

It wasn’t much. I couldn’t provide her with a permanent fix for her situation, but it was something.

We have so very many people, poorest of the poor, in this country. Most of us avoid looking at their faces or wondering about their stories. Perhaps if we spent a little more time understanding how they got where they were and a little less judging their choices, we’d be better off as a whole in the US.

I know it seems overwhelming to try and help everyone but there are success stories out there. The expression on Jim’s face when he sees himself in the mirror at the end of the process says so much more than words ever could about where he’s been and what his life could be.

If you can’t convince yourself to hand over a dollar for someone who needs help, look for places like Dégagé Ministries, Grand Rapids, MI, that give back to those who need it most.

Watch the video. There but for the grace of…whatever you look to for support. If you have family, if you have the proper meds, if you’re in a financial position that makes it possible for you to afford to be generous, be thankful. There are a lot of folks who aren’t or can’t. Many of them are too ill to save themselves.

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