Leaving home early to work at the mall before the movie tonight.
😅 It occurred to me that I've naturally adopted an unusual set of bag checks these days. I now always make sure I have coin for street folks, and at least a bag of rice for someone in deep hunger, before stepping out.
(This is for my sanity, too. I wouldn't feel as comfortable going out to enjoy an evening at the movies while beelining past anyone in need along the way.)
The weird ways we adapt to our neighbourhood needs, eh? 🙃
Yes.
When I lived in Koreatown in Los Angeles, I made sure I had single bills and sometimes a sandwich or two, and if I was not in a rush, would take people into the nearest restaurant and buy them a meal. (Some people weren't comfortable coming inside, or weren't allowed, and I would go in for them.)
Often people weren't able to accept more than a single ready to eat meal because they had no place to store or prepare food.
Oh, and I will add that sometimes taking a few minutes to sit with someone is the most valuable thing you can give them. People who are overlooked and ignored, who are at best invisible but often mistreated--giving them recognition as human and some kindness can help them have the strength to get through the day.
@MLClark @tyghebright Our voices cannot cure the sick, or move mountains. Our please to heaven do not bring or banish the rains.
But our prayers tell another person, that if we had a wish to make, we would wish them whole, happy, loved, and sound.
A prayer cannot mend a broken bone, but it can tell another heart that it is heard.
Well, those words didn't banish the rains at all, Luce. 🧐 Pretty sure I'm now experiencing highly localized showers around my eyeballs.
(Thank you. Just perfectly said.)
@tyghebright
I wholeheartedly agree. :) I wish I could sit with you for a bit, Tyghe! I suspect we would have so much to share.
Some of my fellow atheists get cranky with me for this, but sometimes the folks I sit with also love being able to say a prayer for me. Speaking solely to the secular dimension, it seems like a deeply empowering act: to be able to *do* something for another, instead of always being seen as "in need".
Thank you so much for your presence in & with our hurting world. 🫂