Black Friday, Not So Black

My mom and I went shopping today. We hit the outlet malls and picked up on some incredible deals on some clothes. We also bought some Christmas presents for various family members. I cleaned up on movies at Target and Best Buy. I even got a pair of my Waterford crystal wine glasses for half price, which is unheard of. Heck yeah! But the most significant part of the day came at the very end.

At the end of a very long day of shopping (almost 10 p.m.) we were diverted from our route home by a police blockade. We had to pull into the Meijer to get around the 10 plus patrol cars blocking our side of the road. It must have been God's way of directing us to the homeless man. He was sitting in his wheelchair with only one leg, looking very sad and dirty, holding a sign that simply said, "Hungry! Please help me!" We rolled down the window and asked him if he wanted us to buy him anything to eat. He immediately said, "Yes!" and we asked him what he wanted. I told him I would buy him anything he asked for.

Of all the things he could have asked for, he wanted Chinese food. He said he hadn't had it in a very long time. I asked him specifically what he wanted, and he seemed to appreciate that. We bought him a very large portion of the food he asked for. When we pulled back up to the light where he was sitting, he immediately recognized us and rolled very quickly to the car. He seemed so happy and sadly, so hungry. He said, "God bless you," several times and we said the same back and told him we hoped he would keep warm.

What really made me sad, was watching him excitedly roll his way over to the Meijer spotlights to eat his food. He really was hungry and not just begging for money. You could see it in his face and his body language. I know that so many times it's easier to say, "He could get a job," and just drive away. But this man truely appreciated what we did for him. I just pray that he stays warm and that other people are as willing to help him as we were. What's truely strange was that it upset me more to help him and see how greatful he really was than it would have been to just pull away and forget him. While in some ways it felt like a bittersweet end to the day, it is something I will never forget. And it's something I will definitely do again.