Christmas spirit
I just received a text message from a number I didn't recognize, a "Merry Christmas and God Bless" sort of message, that had me sort of scratching my head and wondering if it was a wrong number, and then a second came through that explained everything.
Back in the end of October, while Mark was gone hunting, I hired a guy to finish spreading the pitiful remains of the barkdust we'd ordered over the summer, which Mark had never had time to finish.
I found him standing at the entrance of our local grocery store, holding a sign so that it covered his face, which said "Need $143 to pay rent, will work for $$, please help."
Now, I don't often stop and give money in these situations. Occcasionally, I'll see someone who gives me a "feeling", a gut intuition that they are genuinely in need. That's when I stop. This was one of those times. I was cash poor at that moment, but managed to put together 4 crumpled $1 bills from the depths of my purse. This guy was young, younger than me, and so grateful, he got tears in his eyes. I thought about that the entire way home. I thought about it so much, and had such a strong feeling to help this guy, that I decided to go back and give him $50 towards his goal. I had never given such a large sum to a person standing on a corner with a sign, ever. But once I decided to do it, I felt like it was the right thing to do.
So I went back. In the half hour or so I'd been gone, he'd scratched out $143, and written $123. Clearly, a few others had stopped to be generous. When i waved him over, and started to hold out the $50, he stopped me and said "Ma'am, I would be more than happy to work for the money, if you have any yardwork or anything you might need done." There was a look on his face of such misery. Being given that money was eating at his self worth.
I had to think about it for a minute. Mark was gone hunting. I was a woman alone, and he was a stranger. Obviously, I wasn't letting him in the car with me, but...the feeling that I needed to help was still very strong.
I asked him if he was busy the next day, Saturday, and he said no, with hope brightening his eyes. I told him I'd pay him $100 if he came to my house and spread that barkdust, and he jumped on that, thanking me effusively, and tripping over giving me his phone number so we could work out the details. After I left, I asked myself what I was doing. Mark would be angry to find out I'd put myself in a potentially dangerous situation, even to help someone else. I told myself not to worry; I'd make sure a friend came over and stayed the afternoon he was going to be there. The $100 would make us tight for a short time, but with Mark gone for the week, I wasn't spending much on goceries, anyway.
Saturday came, I called him, and arranged to meet. When I picked him up, he told me he'd left the gorcery store right after speaking with me, trusting I would keep my word and call him. That was the first time he'd ever had to do anything like that, and he was embarrassed and humiliated, and praying the entire time that no one he knew would see him there with his hand out. He'd been working construction under the table, and when he got laid off two months ago, he didn't have the recourse of unemployment. His girlfriend's paychecks barely put food on the table, and didn't begin to cover rent. The first month, he sold his motorcycle, and the next, everything else he owned of value, all while looking for work. He signed up with every temp agency in town, but the soonest they had anything for him was a grass seed job at the end of November. If he couldn't pay November's rent, he and his girlfriend would be evicted, with no place to go.
When he saw the pitiful pile of barkdust, he looked surprised and dismayed. "This is it?" he asked. Well, yes. It had been the only thing I could think of, spur of the moment. He kind of looked around, and said "Well, I could clean your gutters, maybe." He did not feel that little pile of barkdust was worth what I was paying him. He was right, but that wasn't the point for me, anyway. Still, I didn't want him feeling any worse than he already did. "You could pull some weeds," I offered, and so he did. He worked for a little over three hours, and I paid him $100 and drove him home. His apartment, what little I glimpsed as i dropped him off, looked painstakingly neat and clean, and threadbare, but lived in. He told me on the way home that he couldn't thank me enough, that he truly believed God had led me to him. I wished I could do more, and gave him the name and number of a friend working construction. Maybe they'd need an extra hand for work sometime.
When he shook my hand and said good-bye, he looked at me and said "I will never forget that the name of the lady who helped me out when I needed it most was Charity. That's got to mean something." I smiled, and told him I felt like something, or someone had directed me to help him, too. Then I left, and hoped he'd be able to pull together the other $23 for rent. I couldn't offer it, when he clearly already felt I was paying him too much. When I tried to give him some coffee, or something to eat, he told me, very politely and a little coolly, that he'd already eaten, thank you. He didn't want charity (excuse the pun.)
Well, that merry christmas text was from him (and his girlfriend). Apparently he is working that grass seed job, and he wanted to wish me a merry christmas, because christmas wouldn't be happening for them without what I'd done. I sent back a reply, telling him i was really happy to hear that things had gotten a bit better. I know the job is seasonal, and therefore temporary, so I also hope something else will come along before it ends. He seemed like a genuinely nice young man who didn't have any family or friends here to turn to. I'm glad they got to keep a roof over their heads.
Back in the end of October, while Mark was gone hunting, I hired a guy to finish spreading the pitiful remains of the barkdust we'd ordered over the summer, which Mark had never had time to finish.
I found him standing at the entrance of our local grocery store, holding a sign so that it covered his face, which said "Need $143 to pay rent, will work for $$, please help."
Now, I don't often stop and give money in these situations. Occcasionally, I'll see someone who gives me a "feeling", a gut intuition that they are genuinely in need. That's when I stop. This was one of those times. I was cash poor at that moment, but managed to put together 4 crumpled $1 bills from the depths of my purse. This guy was young, younger than me, and so grateful, he got tears in his eyes. I thought about that the entire way home. I thought about it so much, and had such a strong feeling to help this guy, that I decided to go back and give him $50 towards his goal. I had never given such a large sum to a person standing on a corner with a sign, ever. But once I decided to do it, I felt like it was the right thing to do.
So I went back. In the half hour or so I'd been gone, he'd scratched out $143, and written $123. Clearly, a few others had stopped to be generous. When i waved him over, and started to hold out the $50, he stopped me and said "Ma'am, I would be more than happy to work for the money, if you have any yardwork or anything you might need done." There was a look on his face of such misery. Being given that money was eating at his self worth.
I had to think about it for a minute. Mark was gone hunting. I was a woman alone, and he was a stranger. Obviously, I wasn't letting him in the car with me, but...the feeling that I needed to help was still very strong.
I asked him if he was busy the next day, Saturday, and he said no, with hope brightening his eyes. I told him I'd pay him $100 if he came to my house and spread that barkdust, and he jumped on that, thanking me effusively, and tripping over giving me his phone number so we could work out the details. After I left, I asked myself what I was doing. Mark would be angry to find out I'd put myself in a potentially dangerous situation, even to help someone else. I told myself not to worry; I'd make sure a friend came over and stayed the afternoon he was going to be there. The $100 would make us tight for a short time, but with Mark gone for the week, I wasn't spending much on goceries, anyway.
Saturday came, I called him, and arranged to meet. When I picked him up, he told me he'd left the gorcery store right after speaking with me, trusting I would keep my word and call him. That was the first time he'd ever had to do anything like that, and he was embarrassed and humiliated, and praying the entire time that no one he knew would see him there with his hand out. He'd been working construction under the table, and when he got laid off two months ago, he didn't have the recourse of unemployment. His girlfriend's paychecks barely put food on the table, and didn't begin to cover rent. The first month, he sold his motorcycle, and the next, everything else he owned of value, all while looking for work. He signed up with every temp agency in town, but the soonest they had anything for him was a grass seed job at the end of November. If he couldn't pay November's rent, he and his girlfriend would be evicted, with no place to go.
When he saw the pitiful pile of barkdust, he looked surprised and dismayed. "This is it?" he asked. Well, yes. It had been the only thing I could think of, spur of the moment. He kind of looked around, and said "Well, I could clean your gutters, maybe." He did not feel that little pile of barkdust was worth what I was paying him. He was right, but that wasn't the point for me, anyway. Still, I didn't want him feeling any worse than he already did. "You could pull some weeds," I offered, and so he did. He worked for a little over three hours, and I paid him $100 and drove him home. His apartment, what little I glimpsed as i dropped him off, looked painstakingly neat and clean, and threadbare, but lived in. He told me on the way home that he couldn't thank me enough, that he truly believed God had led me to him. I wished I could do more, and gave him the name and number of a friend working construction. Maybe they'd need an extra hand for work sometime.
When he shook my hand and said good-bye, he looked at me and said "I will never forget that the name of the lady who helped me out when I needed it most was Charity. That's got to mean something." I smiled, and told him I felt like something, or someone had directed me to help him, too. Then I left, and hoped he'd be able to pull together the other $23 for rent. I couldn't offer it, when he clearly already felt I was paying him too much. When I tried to give him some coffee, or something to eat, he told me, very politely and a little coolly, that he'd already eaten, thank you. He didn't want charity (excuse the pun.)
Well, that merry christmas text was from him (and his girlfriend). Apparently he is working that grass seed job, and he wanted to wish me a merry christmas, because christmas wouldn't be happening for them without what I'd done. I sent back a reply, telling him i was really happy to hear that things had gotten a bit better. I know the job is seasonal, and therefore temporary, so I also hope something else will come along before it ends. He seemed like a genuinely nice young man who didn't have any family or friends here to turn to. I'm glad they got to keep a roof over their heads.