We see them everywhere, sometimes every day, but we often don't think twice about them: these are the homeless men and women who populate our streets and shelters. We don't know their stories, but we tend to make assumptions about how they came to be homeless.
Needless to say, these imagined pasts don't work in their favor. We continue to ignore their plights and needs on every level, often treating them as part of the decor. Adults can be prejudiced, even when we don't mean to be.
But there are many children who don't see the difference between a homeless person and other strangers on the street. Their curiosity and interest are piqued by any small anomaly, as one mom quickly discovered when her 6-year-old daughter pulled one very surprising move.
The pair was exiting a shop in Virginia when they came across a homeless man who was crying. Mom didn't give him a second look, but her daughter asked him why he was crying.
Obviously the mom didn't know. So her daughter ran back to the homeless and took his hand: she gave him money from her own purse and a cool drink.
The child's compassionate actions stunned the mom, who caught the moment in a single snapshot…
Kenyatta Lewis is mom to a little 6-year-old daughter. But it was upon exiting a store that the child stunned her with her unbelievable actions.
"After leaving out of the store today my daughter did something that really made me stop and think. There was this guy sitting there crying and she asks me, 'Did you see that man crying? What's wrong with him?'" the mom writes on Facebook.
"I said yes but I'm not sure maybe he's just sad… She said, 'Maybe he's hot and thirsty,' she walked over to him and goes 'Hi sir, be happy it's a nice day it's not raining. Are you hot? Why don't you go home the ground is dirty?' He says I have no home but I will be ok."
"She looked at him with the saddest face and goes 'So that means you're homeless. So you have no food because you have no refrigerator.' She gave him a few dollars out of her purse and her drink and said, 'Please go eat. It would make me happy. I like McDonald's, you should go there.'"
"I could tell she made his day. On top of that 2 more people came up and gave money as well. We had a small conversation and he explained his trailer burnt down and he lost everything including his wife. I felt for him. It just warms my heart. "
"A 6 year old lead by example this morning. AWESOME! Kids see no color and that's exactly how it should be.
"It's not just a statement saying that the children are our future, it's a FACT. That gives me a little more hope for the world."
You can help this man by donating to a GoFundMe page set up to help him get back on his feet!
Please SHARE if you will show the same compassion for the next homeless men and women you meet!
