The evening, an adventurous drive to Cincinnati to see Disney on Ice, was quickly becoming a complete disaster.
It was when I was feeling most sorry for myself that I saw him. The kids noticed him at the same time I did. Juju was the one to say what we were all thinking, "Mommy? Why is that man sitting on the ground?" Jack chimed in at that moment and added, "is he homeless? Does he live there?"
Suddenly, our discomfort and grumpiness seemed incredibly petty. I stopped dead in my tracks and pulled a bill out of my wallet which I thrust in little Juliette's open palm. Then, clutching her firmly by the hand, we walked over together and deposited it in his plastic cup. I'm sure his grateful thank you will stay with the kids as long as with me.
This post was inspired by the Silicon Valley Moms Group Book Club this month. The featured title is Debbie Tenzer's Do One Nice Thing. I'm warning you - generosity and kindness are addictive!
8 comments:
That memory WILL stick with all of you. Amazing those moments of clarity. Blessings...and I need to go see that book!
It is a moment like that that puts everything in clear perspective. And it is how we react to those moments that show what we're made of. Good for you, Vanessa! You just created a memory that your children will never forget. And your actions will surely influence one of those moments in the future when your kids find themselves in your shoes. We truly are blessed.
I had the unfortunate experience of doing this with my son in Alaska when we pulled up to a stop light. It was a bitterly cold day. I reached in my pocket and gave the man there the last $5 I had. As we turned the corner my son said look mom he is going into the liquor store. I sighed and said well let's hope he find something to warm his belly. . .
A very nice thought--one of my kids said something similar the other day, asking about a homeless person and it was a good chance to stop and be grateful.
When we lived in the suburbs near Seattle we use to see a lot of homeless people at the highway intersections looking for handouts. We were concerned about giving them cash cause we couldn't be sure how it would be used. We started carrying paper bags in our car with snacks, travel size toiletries, etc. and would hand those to them. Occasionally we'd go to a nearby McDonald's and buy a meal to take back, especially if we saw someone with children. It made us feel good that we could help someone and although they may have rather had the cash, we knew they'd use what we'd offered. Good for you for reaching out and using the moment to teach your little ones about compassion
It may have made you feel sad and uncomfortable, but you taught your kids an awesome lesson in compassion and giving.
I remember when Heather Armstrong posted a question on her Dooce blog a while back; I may not have it exactly right, but it was something like: "If you knew that there was a 10% chance that a homeless person would spend the $20 you gave him on food and shelter, and there was a 90% chance that he'd spend it on drugs, would you give him the money?" She had hundreds and hundreds of comments in reply with responses as wide-ranging as could be. I stewed over that one and decided that I'd take the chance; it turns out Heather did too. We don't drop a dollar in the bucket of every homeless person on our streets -- sadly, we'd be broke -- but we serve homeless meals, collect toiletries and canned goods, and help in the ways that we can. And, on occasion, we do drop that dollar in the bucket just like you did, offering a smile to go with it.
Sometimes those kind deeds teach more than words. I applaud you. So many people just walk by, but our kids are always looking to us for how to be in this world. Nothing beats empathy.
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