In the Cold of Winter
It was a cold morning and I fought with the blankets that were tempting me to sleep in. In that moment I was only concerned with getting one foot to touch the ground hoping the rest of me would follow. I had no way of knowing that in a few hours I would be helping to keep someone else's feet on the ground...
I am almost certain most of us have saved a life. I am also just as certain that we were pretty clueless while doing so. The amazing thing is that most times we will never know the magnitude of what we just accomplished--as we nonchalantly smile while holding the door open for the frantic mother of four, or as we stop to talk to an old high school friend instead of walking the other way, or when we simply speak up out of the awkwardness of the silence and say, "How are you doing today?". Yes, during most of those encounters we are aimlessly spewing words or gestures as we run to the next activity we need to check off our list. And yet, through those rushed, or even sometimes forced, pleasantries you saved someone's life...
After a morning of quick prayers, thorough cleaning, and plenty of decorating, I found myself summoned to the task of leading the small group being sent to hand out sandwiches to the homeless of Paterson, NJ. We were dropped off at a park and we were out to divide and conquer. Snow covered the ground still and the air was fresh. I looked across the street and caught a glimpse of a young man sitting on a bench. I decided to walk over near the fence and offer him a sandwich. Jose was crying and angry when I approached him and refused the nicely wrapped PB&J sandwich I held out to him. He confessed he was going to jump off the bridge later. At those words I became a beggar. I went around the fence and knelt before him in the snow, begging that he would give me a chance and listen to what I had to say. Jose needed to know his life had purpose and meaning... that God loves him and knows his name and that he is not forgotten or abandoned. He had just gotten home from prison recently and was losing hope. We convinced Jose to come back with us to pray and speak with a priest. He came out a new person, with new hope and full of life.
Many times in our daily encounters, we have the opportunity to fill others with new hope and new life. Your hello, your hand shake, your glance of recognition, your smile of acceptance... You can save a life.
Grace and mercy will follow me all the days of my life.
photo credit: Monika D.
ROCIO PEREZ
