I volunteer each year on Make a Difference Day at
a picnic held for the local homeless at Goodale Park here in Columbus,
Ohio. To say that I am moved by the site
of these people is an understatement. I
begin to realize just how interconnected we are and that our actions can have a
profound impact on the lives of others.
By talking with us and sharing their experiences, we come to know about
their situation and of how they became homeless. It is the rich stories they tell and of how
they continue to struggle with addiction, nervousness and anxiety.
For many of the children, however, the stories
are far more disturbing. I cannot
imagine what it would be like, especially in the formative years, to have your
foundation stripped from beneath your feet.
Not to have a home to go to, food to eat or even clothing for that cold
winter night must seem like an insurmountable hill for many of them to
climb. A child needs that strength and
stability that only a family can provide in order to grow and become that
person God intended. I look into their
eyes on this day and I wonder how I would react in such a moment. Would I be as strong and steely eyed as they
are or would I fold to the pressures of the environment around me. The answer bothers me because I tend to shy
away from my problems and find myself hiding from society when the world looks
and acts particularly frightening and unforgiveable.
I recall how my mother was so welcoming to those
less fortunate and that I should, as my duty as a human being, let everyone
into my heart. I found myself outside my
comfort zone on this particular day and was apprehensive. I was particularly taken aback by a young
woman who approached us and told us about living in a shelter and having no
shoes to wear for her children. My
inhibition began to melt away as all I could think about was how blessed I was
to have such a loving and caring base of friends and family to fall back
on. I shed a tear. I remembered also that Jesus was homeless and
depended on the kindness of strangers and of His asking for us to give of
ourselves to those who need it most.
By opening up and by just listening, I begin to
understand that these people and their children are no different than the rest
of us. They share the same hopes and
dreams for their families. I recall what
Blessed Pope John Paul II once said, that “dialogue leads to a recognition of diversity and opens
the mind to the mutual acceptance and genuine collaboration demanded by the
human family's basic vocation to unity.”
They seek that
common thread that we seek, to be together in society and to be recognized, to
be wanted, to be cared about and to be loved.
God is all around us, He sees us in our best and worst moments. He is watching and waiting for us to make the
first move. It is our responsibility as
citizens of this planet to give to those who need it most and to bring His
message to everyone within the sound of our voice.
At the end of this
day and every day, the response I want to hear from those families is “thanks
for giving”. I hope I have touched a
life and brought a little happiness into the eyes of that child staring back at
me, waiting for me to give them a hug and acknowledging that they were
important to someone - someone like me, someone like the countless people
helping today, someone like God.
May the Lord
watch over them and keep them safe, may they walk in His serenity and light,
may they have many sweet dreams and may His peace be with them, always.
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