It’s hard, sometimes even impossible, to believe that homeless people choose to live such horrible lives for themselves. If that’s true, then why do so many of us treat them with disgust? But Casey Fisher has a very different perception of homeless people.
One day she passed a homeless man on the street asking for alms. Some time later she met him again at the Dunkin Donuts café. The man managed to collect only a dollar.
Casey then asked the man to join her at her table. The man, named Chris, was taken aback by the girl’s offer, but accepted nonetheless. He told Casey that people usually looked at him with disdain because he was homeless. He also confessed that his addiction to drugs had put him in such a miserable state that he hated himself for it.
Chris still cherished the hope that one day he would become a man his mother would be proud of. Sadly, she had died many years ago of cancer, but he wanted to accomplish something in life for her.
Casey and Chris talked for over an hour before Casey realized that she had to go to the university. Time flew by quickly during the conversation, and her classes were about to start. As Casey got ready to leave, Chris asked her to wait a little while.
He began hastily writing something on a crumpled up piece of paper, then handed her a note and apologized in advance for her sloppy handwriting. Casey took the note and left for class. When Casey read what Chris had written on the scrap of paper, she realized that she had done something far more important in the homeless man’s life than simply feeding him.
The note that Chris gave Casey said the following:
«Today I wanted to commit suicide. But thanks to you, I will live and try to make things right. Thank you, you’re a wonderful person.»
Sometimes a kind gesture or word, or even something as simple as a smile, can mean more to someone than you realize. Remember this the next time you meet someone who is sad or in a bad mood.
