Sunday 14 March 2010

Link: Walking Away with an Open Heart

I was on my lunch break in the city, enjoying a salad at an outdoor cafe, when a disheveled homeless lady came walking towards me. She was yelling and begging everyone who walked past her for spare change and she looked like a mess. My instant reaction was fear... to close off and hope she didn't come near me, but she did. I was on the phone and when she came over yelling, I said, "I'm on the phone," in the nicest way I could, assuring myself what she needed was a lesson in manners. After all, that is rude to interrupt someone and I have very little money as it is, if she only knew and on and on... She walked away, mumbling, "I'm annoying you. I'm sorry, I'm sorry. I'll leave." And she turned the corner.

Normally, I would feel relieved or satisfied, but something in me couldn't rest. Without another thought, I looked in my wallet for the spare change I had. It was just dimes and pennies, but I found a few and was going to give them to her. Suddenly, something amazing happened. I started searching through my entire purse, the bottom, the pockets, everything - for ALL of the change I could possibly find to give, and something in me cracked. It felt like my heart broke and poured open and the restlessness abruptly stopped.

Read the full post here... http://www.helpothers.org/story.php?sid=11242

1 comment:

Jenny said...

Well Michael, Beau and I were sitting at the airport before we came to see James and I was standing my the taxi company at gatwick airport....a woman was standing with her two sons tired after along flight and worried about how she was going to get home as the plane she was on got diverted miles away from where she lived. She had only few hundred pounds to her name and the taxi company told her it would be £225 to take her wellingborough and she was tearful as that was all she had. I felt sorry for her and got out my IPhone and checkd all taxi companies and phoned around and arranged one to collect her and her two sons for £100 and arrived within 10 mins, she was so happy so happy, she gave Beau £5 for sweets, I said "I dont want any money I am just glad you can get home without being ripped off", Beau turned round and said "Mother you never refuse money, take it, epecially if its a note" ......shes learning fast. xxxxx

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