The other day while driving along a busy north London roadway I spotted a shopping cart full of someone's worldly goods. What I saw next broke my heart; on the ground was a man, motionless, lying beside his "house". I was in an inside lane of a busy four lane road, and somewhat distracted while driving. "Is this man okay, is he just sleeping or has he overdosed accidently?” I was unable to handle a moving vehicle and do some kind of physical assessment of the man. However, I did pray that someone would stop and help this person.
Still concerned, I checked my side view mirror and noticed that a woman, dressed in black, was moving toward the man. My heart-felt burden turned to peace. I witnessed a random act of kindness. I don’t know the outcome of their encounter but hoped that it might end in him finding a home.
This led me to reach out to Unity Project (a shelter helping homeless young people). I met Sylvia, a woman on a mission to assist the homeless. She embodies their Mission Statement, providing emergency shelter and transitional housing for youth and adults eighteen and older that is safe. The most powerful statement I heard from Sheila was “that a person during their first walk down the alley to Unity Project’s front door, feeling completely ashamed with very low self-esteem, to ask for help and then weeks or months later they walk away from Unity Project with their heads held high.” I made my donation, and though not much, I hoped it helped in some way.
To the woman who did stop to help this man, I say thank-you from my heart.
Guest Blogger: Monica Spilsbury (retired staff nurse of the Sisters of St. Joseph in Canada, London neighbourhood)