Arly and Gary

I drove past St. Vincent’s Church down the road from my home today. I managed to squeeze in a workout at the gym and was rushing home to see my daughter Taylor. She has officially graduated into high school and is (for me, not her) uncomfortably close to driving a car. I remember getting my drivers license. It was pretty much the best feeling I had experienced since my hormones had inconveniently kicked in as a teenager, and to be honest it feels like yesterday that I was 16 years old. I realize my time with Tay is limited, and sadly that old saying, “Time flys” is hitting too close to home.

Feeling the need to rush was admittedly taking over my drive home, but something caught my eye at the church as I drove by and was able to thankfully get out of my head long enough to glance over.

Arly was there and he was leaning over to pick something up. Gary was standing to his side and was throwing his arms up in the air out of excitement as Arly handed Gary a little white sheet of paper.

Arly and Gary are homeless. St Vincent’s Church has a program that gives food vouchers (on little white sheets of paper) Monday through Friday to anyone that comes between 8:30 and 9:00 a.m. The reason I am lucky enough to know Arly and Gary is because my friend Patricia goes every Thursday to help, and she was kind enough to ask me to join in.

Thursdays have turned into the most rewarding day of any week for me. It might sound sweet, that whole idea of going to help give food vouchers out to the homeless…blablabla, but in my heart I know being sweet is the complete opposite of what’s really going on. I feel guilty whenever anyone says how great it is because in my heart I know I'm being completely selfish. What my homeless friends give me is so much more than anything I could give to them.

And what blows me away more than anything is the generous spirit my homeless friends have. Even in the midst of having absolutely nothing they go out of their way to help friends, or complete strangers, even to find a lost food voucher. I know how Arly felt when he found the voucher for Gary because I saw a familiar look on Arly’s face as he turned to Gary with the voucher in hand. The joy in Arly’s face is still with me now, and I am going to carry it with me as long as I can. And this is Friday, not Thursday. Arly really is taking over my week. What’s that other old saying…”A smile is contagious”? It should be, “Joy is contagious”.