Adam
Forum Founder
- Member DIN
- S800
Hello All,
This isn't an email about sounding self-righteous or trying to toot my own horn, but it was an experience I think I'd like to share. It's kinda long, but should be a good read, it's a short story about my Christmas Day, 2009.
Today is Christmas, and we spent all day hanging out with friends and family in our wonderful home. We started the day eating crepes and opening wonderful and expensive Christmas presents. While taking pictures together in our Snuggies, Aundie and I thought to ourselves, how wonderful life is.
That afternoon we spent hours cooking some darn good deviled eggs, ham, potatoes, corn etc. and ate together with friends and family until we couldn't eat anymore. Of course we even gave full plates to Rocky and Buster (our wiener dogs). After being sufficiently stuffed, we then spent the next few hours watching our 61" HDTV and fading in and out of sleep as we sat warm on our microfiber sofa.
After resting from our exhausting meal, we finally got up to clean up our mess. We bickered about dishes for a bit, then began putting away the food. We noticed just how much over abundance of food we had left over. So much, in fact it couldn't even all fit in our fridge. Aundie thought it would be a good idea to pack some food up and give it to the homeless who were freezing outside on this Christmas. Yes, it was 37 degrees in Austin this year. So, I got some tupper-ware, and began packing full meals (spiral ham, potatoes, rolls, fruit, etc) together in ziplocks and put it nicely together in bags. Then I grabbed some nice Christmas cards and filled them out with words of encouragement, and wishing them a Merry Christmas, reminding them that a new year was right around the corner. Perhaps a couple of nice words would go a long way, they always do for me.
So we went out into the cold to find some homeless people to share our meal with. They aren't easy to find this late at night, and especially when it's cold. I remember wanting to complain to Aundie about her window being down, and I how the outside air was making me chilly. I stopped when I thought to myself how many people would be stuck out in that all night, and all week, and all month.
The first guy we came across made me smile. He was in really high spirits. He was dancing around holding a series of cardboard signs, one of them saying "need new tires for my limo". Sure he might have been drunk, but the first thing I noticed, was that for all his hard luck, and poor living conditions, he was the happiest person I'd seen all week. Why aren't we ALL happy when have all the nice things that we do? Because our heating bill was too high? Because I didn't get that new game I asked for this year? He was so very grateful, and genuinely happy to receive what we gave him.
After a couple minutes of driving, we were having trouble finding anyone else. Obviously because it was late and cold. When we did find the next person, I was surprised to find how young he was, probably my age. He looked like he could have been someone who you worked with, or someone you go to church with. He didn't at all look like a homeless person. I figure it's because he hasn't been out on the street long. I wondered what could have possibly happened in his life to have him all alone, in the cold on Christmas. He was one of the most polite people I've met. It is a stark contrast to the people I've seen in stores this year. Especially this shopping season, where everyone I've bumped into is a mean, grouchy grinch. Shoppers and clerks alike. I said to Aundie a few times about how shocked I was on how everyone was just so rude and grumpy in the stores and on the road. What right do they have to be that way? Because they had to work on Christmas Eve? Because someone stole their parking spot at Target? For someone with so much to complain about, he was so polite, and grateful. Why aren't we all this way, with as much as we have been blessed with?
The third person we saw, was a lady. She wasn't on the street corner, but instead she was up under the bridge, sweeping the dirt out of her "home". This really affected Aundie seeing this. It was incredible with what little she had, she took the time to take care of her little piece of concrete. It was almost like, she thought of that patch of concrete under that girder was hers, and she was proud enough of that spot to want to keep it clean and comfortable. Her only family was a black Labrador who barked at us as we approached on foot. As we approached her, someone drove by and honked. I'm not certain, but when they honked and drove by, they yelled something out their window. I thought they yelled "get a job", but I hope it was only my imagination, because I have a hard time believing someone could be so cruel on Christmas Day.
The lady, all bundled up in the cold had thick glasses that were slipping off her nose, but she had a big smile on her face. She had so little, but seemed to be content with it. As we gave her the meal, she smiled and said "God bless you". Think about it - Her family Christmas meal was spent with herself and her dog, under Highway 183. I can picture her reading her Christmas card to her dog under the light of a cheap Bic lighter, both enjoying a slice of ham each, and smiling. She did smile as we left and I hope it warmed her heart as much as it did ours. She was happy and thankful with what she had. Not to say she wanted to be in that place at that time, but she was content with it. So why aren't we all content with what we have? Why aren't we greeting others with a warm smile and a happy demeanor? It sure isn't a hard thing to do.
Now, I don't know if any of these guys are drug addicts, or drunks or what not. But I do know that they are fellow human beings. They enjoy many of the same things we do. They certainly don't like being alone and hungry in the cold on Christmas Day. And it may not inspire me to go out every weekend to bring them something nice, but it certainly does give me a fresh perspective on thing things in my life, and how blessed we all are with what we have. Sure some bad things have happened in 2009, but in the end, we are in pretty good shape, and we should all be grateful for that.
Thank you for reading through this story, and I hope it means something to you, as it does Aundie and I. Again, we're not trying to say we're all righteous and caring, but during that one hour, we were giving a powerful experience that I thought I'd share. We both love you all very much, and hope you are as blessed as we feel. Merry Christmas!
This isn't an email about sounding self-righteous or trying to toot my own horn, but it was an experience I think I'd like to share. It's kinda long, but should be a good read, it's a short story about my Christmas Day, 2009.
Today is Christmas, and we spent all day hanging out with friends and family in our wonderful home. We started the day eating crepes and opening wonderful and expensive Christmas presents. While taking pictures together in our Snuggies, Aundie and I thought to ourselves, how wonderful life is.
That afternoon we spent hours cooking some darn good deviled eggs, ham, potatoes, corn etc. and ate together with friends and family until we couldn't eat anymore. Of course we even gave full plates to Rocky and Buster (our wiener dogs). After being sufficiently stuffed, we then spent the next few hours watching our 61" HDTV and fading in and out of sleep as we sat warm on our microfiber sofa.
After resting from our exhausting meal, we finally got up to clean up our mess. We bickered about dishes for a bit, then began putting away the food. We noticed just how much over abundance of food we had left over. So much, in fact it couldn't even all fit in our fridge. Aundie thought it would be a good idea to pack some food up and give it to the homeless who were freezing outside on this Christmas. Yes, it was 37 degrees in Austin this year. So, I got some tupper-ware, and began packing full meals (spiral ham, potatoes, rolls, fruit, etc) together in ziplocks and put it nicely together in bags. Then I grabbed some nice Christmas cards and filled them out with words of encouragement, and wishing them a Merry Christmas, reminding them that a new year was right around the corner. Perhaps a couple of nice words would go a long way, they always do for me.
So we went out into the cold to find some homeless people to share our meal with. They aren't easy to find this late at night, and especially when it's cold. I remember wanting to complain to Aundie about her window being down, and I how the outside air was making me chilly. I stopped when I thought to myself how many people would be stuck out in that all night, and all week, and all month.
The first guy we came across made me smile. He was in really high spirits. He was dancing around holding a series of cardboard signs, one of them saying "need new tires for my limo". Sure he might have been drunk, but the first thing I noticed, was that for all his hard luck, and poor living conditions, he was the happiest person I'd seen all week. Why aren't we ALL happy when have all the nice things that we do? Because our heating bill was too high? Because I didn't get that new game I asked for this year? He was so very grateful, and genuinely happy to receive what we gave him.
After a couple minutes of driving, we were having trouble finding anyone else. Obviously because it was late and cold. When we did find the next person, I was surprised to find how young he was, probably my age. He looked like he could have been someone who you worked with, or someone you go to church with. He didn't at all look like a homeless person. I figure it's because he hasn't been out on the street long. I wondered what could have possibly happened in his life to have him all alone, in the cold on Christmas. He was one of the most polite people I've met. It is a stark contrast to the people I've seen in stores this year. Especially this shopping season, where everyone I've bumped into is a mean, grouchy grinch. Shoppers and clerks alike. I said to Aundie a few times about how shocked I was on how everyone was just so rude and grumpy in the stores and on the road. What right do they have to be that way? Because they had to work on Christmas Eve? Because someone stole their parking spot at Target? For someone with so much to complain about, he was so polite, and grateful. Why aren't we all this way, with as much as we have been blessed with?
The third person we saw, was a lady. She wasn't on the street corner, but instead she was up under the bridge, sweeping the dirt out of her "home". This really affected Aundie seeing this. It was incredible with what little she had, she took the time to take care of her little piece of concrete. It was almost like, she thought of that patch of concrete under that girder was hers, and she was proud enough of that spot to want to keep it clean and comfortable. Her only family was a black Labrador who barked at us as we approached on foot. As we approached her, someone drove by and honked. I'm not certain, but when they honked and drove by, they yelled something out their window. I thought they yelled "get a job", but I hope it was only my imagination, because I have a hard time believing someone could be so cruel on Christmas Day.
The lady, all bundled up in the cold had thick glasses that were slipping off her nose, but she had a big smile on her face. She had so little, but seemed to be content with it. As we gave her the meal, she smiled and said "God bless you". Think about it - Her family Christmas meal was spent with herself and her dog, under Highway 183. I can picture her reading her Christmas card to her dog under the light of a cheap Bic lighter, both enjoying a slice of ham each, and smiling. She did smile as we left and I hope it warmed her heart as much as it did ours. She was happy and thankful with what she had. Not to say she wanted to be in that place at that time, but she was content with it. So why aren't we all content with what we have? Why aren't we greeting others with a warm smile and a happy demeanor? It sure isn't a hard thing to do.
Now, I don't know if any of these guys are drug addicts, or drunks or what not. But I do know that they are fellow human beings. They enjoy many of the same things we do. They certainly don't like being alone and hungry in the cold on Christmas Day. And it may not inspire me to go out every weekend to bring them something nice, but it certainly does give me a fresh perspective on thing things in my life, and how blessed we all are with what we have. Sure some bad things have happened in 2009, but in the end, we are in pretty good shape, and we should all be grateful for that.
Thank you for reading through this story, and I hope it means something to you, as it does Aundie and I. Again, we're not trying to say we're all righteous and caring, but during that one hour, we were giving a powerful experience that I thought I'd share. We both love you all very much, and hope you are as blessed as we feel. Merry Christmas!
