The Contributor

So I haven't written a blog in a few months. I just really haven't had time or thoughts that I felt like sharing...until today. Today, I took my sister to the doctor in Nashville. On the way back the traffic was terrible so I decided to get off at Harding from I65 and cut over to 24 to get home. We got stopped in traffic at the red light at Harding and Nolensville Rd. There was a black man. He was standing to the right of our vehicle with a newpaper. I am ashamed to admit my initial thought was "Oh gosh this man is going to walk up to the window asking for money. Quick! Lock the doors and roll up the windows." He didn't look terribly scary but you could definitely tell he was homeless. My sister reached over and grabbed her wallet. "I'm going to give this man some money." "What?" Why on Earth was she really going to give this man money. We see tons of homeless people standing on the street every time we drive through Nashville. Usually they're holding a sign asking for money. I think most of us have heard some of the horror stories about homeless people. Many of them are drunks and some are even people who are just disguised as a homeless person to get money. So when I saw this black man standing on the street, I judged him. Immediately. My sister pulled $3 out of her wallet and called the man over so she could buy his $1 newspaper. He walked up and she handed him the $3. He very sweetly replied, "Thank you so much Ma'am. God bless you." I was a little suprised by how nice he sounded. I noticed he was wearing a name tag. His name was Jesse. After he walked away, I asked what the paper was that he handed her. She started telling me about it. It's called The Contributor. The money made from the newpaper goes toward helping the homeless. Many of the people selling this paper (also known as vendors) are homeless. This is their job...their way of making money. The creators of the newspaper used to print it at the library but have since raised enough money to get their own computers.

As my sister opened up the paper, she started reading. There were poems, stories, songs, pictures, etc...all of which were written/drawn  by homeless/ former homeless people. My heart sank into my chest. Some of these stories were so touching....and very humbling. One was written by a man named Jesse...whether this is the same Jesse that sold us the paper I don't know..but his story was called "Why me?" I was in awe of how thankful these people are just to be living and breathing. They often times think of themselves as blessed. How many of us gripe and complain about our lives now? How many of us would be so thankful to be homeless? Listening to her read these stories was indescribeable. Talking about bringing you down to Earth. If you ever have a day that you are feeling down about your life, take a read through The Contributor. It'll definitely make you feel better. Friends- if you have not ever picked up and read one of these newspapers, it's a must do. Please, for the love of Jesus, next time you are stopped next to a homeless person please pay attention. See if they are selling this paper. If they are, buy it. Even if they aren't, give to them. It kind of reminds me of the story of Jesus disguising himself and asking for help. You really just never know what your kindness means or how much it means to someone. This morning I woke up a disgruntled wife/mother who would love to have a semi new vehicle with 3rd row seating so the children aren't cramped when we take trips. Tonight, my 1100 sq ft. home is a mansion and I am as rich as Bill Gates.