I went to an art exhibit years ago in Venice, California. It was a high-class affair. The gallery smelled like money. Walking to my car afterward, a homeless man in a doorway surprised me.
"Hey!"
"Jesus,” I said. “Don't sneak up on people like that."
"Got some change? I'm hungry."
"Nope," I answered, "all I've got is money. Change will have to come from you."
(My usual intentionally annoying response.)
There was a silence as he deciphered my answer.
I was across the street when he yelled, "I hope you never need help."
I yelled back, “No chance. I work too hard.”
He muttered, “Yeah, I worked hard once, too."
I stopped, turned back and gave him a five, but told him he might do better if he worked on his attitude. We ended up talking for hours. He said what he really needed was a blanket. I said I’d go home and get one for him. I did.
Six months later, I saw him in a church, well-dressed and clean shaven.
I said hello and asked if he remembered me.
“Remember you?” he answered. "Man, that talk we had turned my life around. And I still have the blanket.”
“No act of kindness, no matter how small, is ever wasted.”
In a list
A contest entry
- The Difference Is In The Heart by SeptemberFaith.
500 points, ended March 20, 9 entries
Gold trophy winner
• next poem in this contest, remove from contest - Random Acts of Kindness, Compassion, Empathy by paw-writer.
1000 points, ended August 9, 12 entries
Honorable winner
• next poem in this contest, remove from contest
Please tell me what you think
Comments
1 - 23 of 23
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BRAVO! BRAVO! BRAVO!
that tearfully touched my heart!
well done
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One never knows how even a small kindness may touch someone's life in a positive way. This sounds like one of them, and it was heartwarming to hear that you paused and took the time to listen to that person's story. We truly never know how someone may be suffering. This poem is inspiring. Thanks for sharing it and for entering my contest. Blessings, Patty
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great story!
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this made me sigh. This is beautifully written. Beautiful message.
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Beautiful story. It just reiterates the point that any act of kindness, no matter how small it seems, does make a difference. So, even if it helps "only" one person, it's still doing a lot. Who said one person's life is not important enough?
Good luck in the contest.
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almost forgot
”Progress is impossible without change and those who cannot change their minds cannot change anything” – George Bernard Shaw
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inspiring
hi mark, love the story made my day somewhat
love the pic too is that you with the monk - awesome dude -
Wow...This was an interesting piece. I really liked the message of it. Wonderfully written as usual. It speaks to me on many levels and it is a good reminder of kindness and it's rewards...
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This left me with one thought:
You are one bad mama jamma
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Me? A bad mama jamma? Well, then God is in his heaven and all is right with the world. I have officially "made it." You may not know this, but to be called a bad mama jamma is my loftiest dream, one I thought was unattainable, but you have made it come true. lol Thanks, man.
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Whoever said, "what can I do, I'm just one person," hasnt experienced what you just wrote...It takes just one person , one and a time, to make a difference...great inspirational story, Mark..as usual you know how to touch the chord of human-kind!
xoxo suzy
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Thanks, Suzy. Usually, any good seeds we plant die in the earth because the surface is too hard for the sprout to penetrate, and when they do grow and prosper, we never know it. This was one of those rare instances that the seed took root and I was made aware by pure chance that it did.
I hope life in sunny Florida is going well for you. Keep in touch! I read your latest haiku on the sunrise from the airplane and loved it. I'm glad to see you're still stopping to smell the roses.
Mark
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My God! Is this true?!
Mark! What a great thing you did! God bless you, man!
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Thanks, Oce. God bless you, too.
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This is a true story?
Kudos to you and the man- you for giving him your honest opinion, and him for taking it and using it for good in his own life.
And you were in church, too?
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heismysong,
Yeah, I was in a church, believe it or not. The stucco cracked a little when I walked in but the building survived. lol
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Mark, again, I have tears just beaneath the surface. A member of my family was on the streets for several years. He usually had a bed, but there were times when he slept under a bridge with other street people.
His life is much more comfortable now, too, and there were inner changes he had to make, as well. Your writing just reminded me this afternoon how much I have to be grateful about. Kindness often goes further than we think. Thank you!
~ Karen
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Hi Karen,
I'm glad to hear that you're loved one is okay now and no longer homeless. The streets can be very unforgiving, and most people in big cities are too overwhelmed by all the homeless people to even acknowledge them. Like the line from that old country song from a homeless man's POV goes, "Don't think I don't notice that our eyes never meet." Severe mental disorders usually make it impossible for them to rehabilitate themselves. Other times, it's just deep sadness that needs to be cured. The person in this story was one of the lucky ones who was able to rescue himself somehow.
Great to hear from you, as always.
Love,
Mark
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I loved this story. You never know who you might touch or change, as we plants seeds. This reminds me of a story of my own, a homeless man wanting some change, he was hungry but really wanted booze, I bought him food instead, and the time and place of a close aa meeting, I don't know the outcome as you do in this. How amazing and rewarding to see this man at church, clean and changed, knowing you made a differance! Who said miracles don't happen!
Thank you for your inspiration.
blessings,
Michelle
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Hey Michelle,
Someone wrote the life of a good person is like an underground spring, silently making the ground above green. The kindness you gave to that man, along with any other kindnesses given to him by others, may have given him the strength he needed to do whatever it was he had to do. I was fortunate that I bumped into him again. It was freezing the night we talked. Maybe that blanket made him comfortable enough to stop thinking about survival a little and do the inner work he had to do. Who knows? I'd like to take full credit but it takes more than a blanket and some encouraging words to change a man's heart.
Thanks, friend.
Mark -
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My friend, feeling another's care, when alone and cold, must feel like an angel lighting the dark. Makes me wonder, if we all would reach out, just like you did, what kind of world would this be. What changes would we see. Thank you for sharing the words of the underground spring, that is lovely!
blessings,
Michelle
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211 Words.... But the bottom quote is exactly 11 words and an afterthought I think, so I wont count it
This is an amazing story. I have chill bumps all over my body... literally. This goes to show that kindness is never waisted.
Bravo Poet.
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Thanks, Criss. I had chills when I saw him in church, whole and happy. It was actually a huge coincidence that I saw him there because I rarely go to church and it was a church far away from where we met. Maybe God was trying to tell me something.
I hope you're having a happy 2008 so far!
Mark
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