I had a very nice morning that day. I laughed with my roommates. It's always nice to laugh in the morning. I had time to sleep in a bit and exercise and study the scriptures for a while. Then I found myself helping this very nice girl change apartments - and it was a beautiful day. The air was full of the exciting and anxious emotions that accompany the end of a school year at BYU and the goodbyes and new beginnings that so many people are experiencing. There were people playing in the yard, and sitting on their porches, and having fun together. I was trying to be kind and hoping to make a good impression on this girl. I was pretty occupied in my own little mind about all the awesome things I had, but not really noticing them...
And then... a homeless man walked by.
He must have been around 30 years old. He looked pretty healthy, but had some physical disability because he struggled to walk. He walked right by on the sidewalk by the apartment. As I looked at him at just the right moment so that I saw his long, drawn-out glance toward those people playing in the yard...
I love this man. I instantly loved him. In that glance, it was as if I could see in his eyes that he did not have anyone. He did not have the nice, clean apartment to wake up in that I had. He did not have the breakfast to eat that I had. He did not have good friends to laugh with or a place to move out of or so many mounds belongings that it requires hours and hours to packed and move them. He probably did not have an education as I had received here. He, unlike me, probably did not struggle to decide which clothes to wear to look good. I saw him look over at those people playing in the yard, and I wanted to take him home with me. I wanted to introduce my friends to him, and to give him the Gospel, and make him feel loved, and teach him to care for himself and to be productive and to give him all of the unbelievable opportunities I have had in my life! I wanted so badly to lift that man! But, I just watched him walk away.
Since that moment of seeing truth and reality, those feelings of love were stuck inside me. I took a moment, when I got home, to say a prayer of gratitude. That was a good choice. I watched a few uplifting videos from "The Skit Guys", a christian group that makes inspirational family videos. I texted my mom and my sister, and I talked on the phone with my brother and a good friend. I had a nice conversation with my roommate.
Then, as I was writing this, I received a call about a car accident. It was about midnight, and my roommate and I were asked to come to the hospital to give a priesthood blessing to our friend and her mother who had been in the accident. Neither were critically injured, but both were in pain. I was so happy to be able to go and help them.
I just felt like this day, for me, was a beautiful experience. And the spark of it was seeing this homeless man. Now, I know that homelessness can be a complicated thing. How full and rich would my life be if I could live with gratitude for th blessings that I enjoy and be filled with love and compassion for those around me.
Can't we all do this better? Can't we all let go of ourselves a little bit? Can't we do more to lift and care for each other? I believe we must, and I believe that we can.
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