Good morning, THE TATTOOED HOMELESS MAN He was scary. He sat on the grass with his cardboard sign, his dog and tattoos running up and down both arms and even on his neck. His sign proclaimed him to be “stuck and hungry” and to please help. The woman was a sucker for anyone needing help. Her husband both loves and hates this quality in her. It often makes him nervous, and she knew if he saw her right then, he’d be nervous. She pulled the van over and in her rear-view mirror, contemplated this man, tattoos and all. He was youngish, maybe forty. He wore one of those bandannas tied over his head, biker/pirate style. Anyone could see he was dirty and had a scraggly beard. But if you looked closer, you could see that he had neatly tucked in the black T-shirt, and his things were in a small, tidy bundle. Nobody was stopping for him. She could see the other drivers take one look and immediately focus on something else, anything else. It was so hot out. Shecould see in the man’s very eyes how dejected and tired and worn-out he felt. The sweat was trickling down his face. As the woman sat with the air-conditioning blowing, the scripture suddenly popped into her head. “Inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of these, my brethren, so ye have done it unto me.” She reached down into her purse and extracted a ten-dollar bill. Her twelve-year old son, Nick knew right away what she was doing. “Can I take it to him, Mom?” “Be careful, honey.” she warned and handed him the money. She watched in the mirror as he rushed over to the man, and with a shy smile, handed it to him. She saw the man, startled, stand up and take the money, putting it into his back pocket. “Good,” She thought to herself, “now he will at least have a hot meal tonight.” She felt satisfied, proud of herself.She had made a sacrifice and now she could go on with her errands. When Nick got back into the car, he looked at her with sad, pleading eyes. “Mom, his dog looks so hot and the man is really nice.” She knew she had to do more. “Go back and tell him to stay there, that we will be back in fifteen minutes,” she told Nick. He bounded out of the car and ran to tell the tattooed stranger. The woman could see the man was surprised, but nodded his agreement. From her car the woman was excitement. She ran to the nearest store and bought gifts carefully. “It can’t be too heavy,” she explained to the children. “He has to be able to carry it around with him.” We finally settled on our purchases. A bag of dog food; a flavored toy shaped like a bone; a water dish, snacks (for the dog); two bottles of water (one for the dog, one for Mr. Tattoos); and some snacks for the man. They rushed back to the spot where they had left him, and there he was, still waiting. And still nobody else was stopping for him. With hands shaking, the woman grabbed the bags and climbed out of the car, all four of her children following her, each carrying gifts. As they walked up to him, she had a fleeting moment of fear, hoping he wasn’t a serial killer. The woman looked into his eyes and saw something that startled her and made her ashamed of her judgment. She saw tears. He was fighting like a little boy to hold back his tears. How long had it been since someone showed this man kindness? Her eyes filled with tears as he said “Ma’am, I don’t know what to say.” He then put both hands on his bandanna-clad head and just started to cry. This man, this “scary” man, was so gentle, so sweet, so humble. The woman smiled through my tears and said “Don’t say anything.” Then she noticed the tattoo on his neck. It said “Mama tried.” As the woman and her children all piled into the van and drove away, he was on his knees, arms around his dog, kissing his nose and smiling. She waved cheerfully and then fully broke down in tears. She had so much. Her worries seem so trivial and petty now. She had a home, a loving husband, four beautiful children. She had a bed. The woman wondered where he would sleep tonight. Although it seemed as if they had helped him, the man with the tattoos gave them a gift that she would never forget. He taught that no matter what the outside looks like, inside each of us is a human being deserving of kindness, of compassion, of acceptance. He opened her heart. MEGACARE...A Healthier YOU
Posted on: Fri, 16 Aug 2013 08:00:00 +0000
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