Homeless

As I planned this post, I thought of the words of our Savior, born to transient parents in Bethlehem, who responded to a would-be disciple with these words:

The snakes have dens, and the foxes have holes, but the Son of Man hath nowhere to lay his head.

I met a variety of people today, who in my mind were exactly as I: without abode. Darrell, the wandering invalid. Max, by Blessed Heart Catholic Church, the Job of Denver. Ron, the content bum, having mastered his lot, lay in a sleeping bag by a walking trail. Gary, the established wino with his own "little piece of heaven" as I called it, nestled between a brick wall and a small fenced-in grassy plot, complete with a tent (I only saw all this due to the fact that I walked down the hill from the Interstate overlooking his kingdom). A whole community of homeless people at the shelter, who had the pleasure of getting a hot meal  (boy was it good!), which made me completely open to the idea of being "stuck" for a few days longer. A lot more hope and excitement than you might think would exist in such a dining hall. Strangely, it had the same animated feel of the shelter where I volunteered in California during my 2-year mission for Christ, serving food to these precious souls. And finally, the homeless gentleman who goes un-named. He was so high, and all smiles. He was in his 60s or 70s, served in Viet-nam, and had a booger laying on his salt-and-pepper mustache. He laughed with the eyes of a child. His smile was the kind that lights you up. Oh goodness, I'll never forget him.  He was the most adorable little homeless man I've ever seen in my life! I feel that once I was entirely open to associating, such to accept a hot meal from kind strangers, that Denver became not just a city but a gathering of God's beautiful children, no matter their station in life. I can honestly see how people get comfortable in it, though there is no reason to take up apathy and sloth alongside it. The next morning I got a ride out to Utah. I took it easy, and basked on the side of the highway, eating a simple meal. I think of the words of King Benjamin,

Behold, are we not all beggars? Do we not depend on that same being, even God, for all the substance which we do have?

These words penetrate my heart. I always want to have something I can give. I always want to have something I can give to anybody in general, whether starved of food or fondness for another.