"But, I've got a tarp."

[BleedingHeartPatriot]

Last night, during the worst of the blizzard, my husband was stranded about 25 miles from home. I called him occasionally on his cell phone, posted on DU and waited and worried.

When he finally came through the door, I had dinner waiting for him. We ate dinner and he kicked back to revel in the fact that he was finally home.

I bundled up to take our dog for walk. I was actually looking forward to it, since I knew it would be eerily quiet, except for the blowing wind, and my dog could run off leash and bound through the snow drifts.

As I was walking with her, I heard a noise. It was coming from the outdoor break area of one of the businesses in the neighborhood. This is a covered area, tucked off the street, with tables and benches. There are often homeless people sleeping there, at night. One can't see the area from the street, however, I have often heard the rustling and quiet conversations as I walked my dog early in the morning.

I went back home and told my husband I was going to take some food to whoever was hunkered down there in the middle of a blizzard. My exhausted husband immediately jumped up and began preparing food. He also insisted on accompanying me.

We headed out, food in hand, back to the location. My husband called out to let anyone there know we were coming around the fence.

There was one man there, lying under a table with an umbrella near his head to keep most of the snow off. He was visibly surprised, and when my husband handed him the soup (he didn't even have gloves on), he asked why we had brought the food to him.

My husband responded, "Bro, it's cold out tonight. Our dog alerted us someone was here and we just wanted to make sure you had something warm to eat."

The young man looked genuinely baffled...he then said, "But, I've got a tarp."

He was wrapped cocoon style in the tarp, which was already covered with snow. He considered himself fortunate.

Then he graciously thanked us for the food.

And, I cried most of the walk back to my warm, lighted home. MKJ

[xultar]

1. ...

:cry: :cry: :cry: :cry: :cry: :cry:

[ayeshahaqqiqa]

2. Who knows?

perhaps you looked into the eyes of God last night...and gave Him soup...

om shanti shanti shanti

[BleedingHeartPatriot]

6. That's a beautiful thought, thanks for that.

MKJ

[flamin lib]

3. ...

[ceile]

4. Oh, my.

:cry:
You and your husband are great people.

[babylonsister]

5. You made me cry, too. Thank you for reminding me how

blessed I am to not need a tarp, and thanks to you and your husband for having such big, kind hearts. :hug:

[NI4NI]

7. Assuming you are Christian

you demonstrate a big difference between the so called "Christian Right" compared to "The Right Kind Of Christian". And if you are not Christian or of any other particular persuasion, I think you're still one hell of a beautiful, caring human being just the same. Peace and Good Health to you and yours.

K&R'd

[BleedingHeartPatriot]

16. Thanks for your kind words.

I wish I could have done more. And his dignity and attitude were a gift to me, so I got more than I gave in this case.

Peace and Good Health to you, too. :hi: MKJ

[cui bono]

29. I hate to nitpick...

it's obvious your heart is in the right place and your sentiments were very nice, however, your phrase "And if you are not Christian or of any other particular persuasion, I think you're still one hell of a beautiful, caring human being just the same." implies, that most non-Christians or non-religious people are not generous, kind-hearted, etc... Religious people most certainly do not corner the market on morality.

Peace.

[NI4NI]

31. For the record, I'm agnostic

and the implication that any or most non-relegious faith followers are without virtue has been foolishly applied to me.

[nam78_two]

8. K&R.nt

[Coloradan4Truth]

9. What a wonderful thing to do -

:yourock:

[wicket]

10. God bless you

:hug:

[Uncle Joe]

11. Thanks for sharing, BleedingHeartPatriot

Kicked and recommended

[eleny]

12. Hugs from Lakewood

:hug: :cry: :hug:

[BleedingHeartPatriot]

23. Hi, Lakewood!

Hugs right back...:pals: :hug: MKJ

[SeattleGirl]

13. Aw, man.

:cry:

You and your husband are wonderful. Thank you for looking out for another human being. :hug:

[NoSheep]

14. I'm glad you could help him. Wow. I see this kind of thing a lot where I live.

[mloutre]

15. and may goddess bless us every one n/t

[NMDemDist2]

17. our local small town paper did a special section today of letters to Santa

most were the usual stuff but a couple really tore me up

one little girl asked for glasses cuz she couldn't see and pajamas

another little boy asked for new shoes and a coat

and still another little girl just wanted a new sheet for her bed and something pretty for her mommy

:cry:

if I had a job right now, I would have bought that little girl glasses and I think I can find some blankets and sheets to give the one child

i feel so angry and helpless at the same time :(

[knitter4democracy]

18. They had an article in our paper that said where many live.

It's under an overpass near town. When the cold really hits here, I'll be packing up food and socks and mittens. I don't have time to knit for all of them, but I'll see what I can do. No one should be cold and hungry in this country. We are too damn rich for that kind of poverty.

[Kajsa]

19. I love Democrats, I really do!

Right now I want to scream it to the world.

We feel,we care, and we share!

" bleeding heart liberals"

Damn right we are!!!
And damn proud of it, too.

God Bless you for being a shining star
in a very dark sky.

:hug:

[Martin Eden]

20. You bleeding heart liberal ...

:yourock:

[Catherine Vincent]

21. Gosh, I can't imagine someone having to sleep in snow.

:(

[laylah]

22. Kick for the compassion! n/t

[me b zola]

24. Thank you

:hug:

[LSK]

25. you are truly a wonderful person and Im glad your husband made it home

:hug:

[bobbolink]

26. Thank you! At the same time, I'm angry, scared for others, and completely confused

why we, as a nation, are allowing this to continue!!

THIS MUST STOP!!

[swimmernsecretsea]

27. As many others here tonight have

I had tears in my eyes after reading this. I've been in very close to being where this man was, and many times have thought myself fortunate to have what I had, although it was never a tarp. You have no idea how lonely and terrible the feeling of being down is, and how an act of kindness feels when you are there in that place.

I can tell you this: you've raised the level of good in the world today. People might not notice it, but the world is a happier, nicer place because of what you've done.

Let it ripple, like the water of a pond. Thank you.

[Philosoraptor]

28. Bless you

[democrank]

30. Bless you, BHP.

There`s something to this idea of a random act of kindness.

[bonito]

32. Thank you, Recommended n/t

[BleedingHeartPatriot]

33. I'm profoundly touched by the responses on this thread. I got paid today and donated to 2nd Harvest

a few minutes ago. A bit of paying it forward, I imagine. It felt like the perfectly right thing to do.

It's funny, even though my family lost our home and we are having some financial difficulties, my charitable giving has increased, as well as contributions to political campaigns and organizations, compared to a few years when we doing just fine financially.

And, I've started jumping in to do what I can when presented with suffering right in front of me. I used to feel badly and not do anything, thinking whatever I did wouldn't be enough.

I still wish I could have done more, but I'll keep trying to help a little bit here and there. I hope this gentleman remembers that not everyone is callously indifferent to his plight.

We all do what we can, don't we?

:loveya: :hug: :pals: :toast: back to all of you wonderful people. DU is a wonderful inspiration for me, in my life, along with my beloved family and friends.

MKJ

[Midlodemocrat]

36. You touched the face of God tonight.

You are a true hero for doing that. For not being 'afraid', for caring.

God Bless You and your husband for being so kind. It reminds me of my Nana who used to feed the homeless 'soup' throughout the depression and WWII.

Well, it probably started out as soup, but ended up being hot water with a piece of bread.

:hug:

[JNelson6563]

34. Bravo!!

Wonderful story! It reminds me of something Governor Granholm said when I saw her just before Nov. elections. She said that what makes us different from "our opponents" is that we care about each other.

We are able to go beyond the ancient human pack mentality of "me and mine" and care about all our fellow humans. Many thanks for the care you showed this poor soul.

My dad would've said "there's a special place in heaven for people like you." As an atheist I wish it were true just as I often wish there really was a hell when I think of Team Bush.

:toast:

Julie

[InternalDialogue]

35. Bless you, BHP.

I live in central Denver, and walking with and moving past homeless people and street citizens is something that's part of my daily life. Giving a little change when someone asks can seem trite or be difficult or impossible, depending on my own situation and what's in my pocket. And hearing calls for help every day kind of numbs you to the sound. It's really easy to walk on by.

But money's not the only thing we can give. I've been moved to give people my own food, a sandwich from the store I was about to enter, a blanket, a pair of jeans from my closet, a pair of shoes. But the most important thing we give isn't even the objects. It's the concern we show when we talk to each other, signaling that we're all people just like each other, and some of us who may have more are willing to share something with those who have none. Pride runs strong in us, and when we neglect to say hi or voice concern because we're too proud, we don't realize that someone who might really need help may not ask because they're too proud as well. When we reach out, we let people know that we want them to speak to us as equal, fellow humans -- it's a permission slip to communicate.

Any one of us can't lift everyone who needs a hand, but if we all show concern when we are able, we can make a difference. You may have saved a life Wednesday night, or something you have done may have saved a life in the past. But even if you didn't, you touched a life, and when we all keep doing that, we are doing the right thing.

:hug:

[BleedingHeartPatriot]

38. Thanks for so eloquently expressing the connection that we all have to each other.

I know exactly what you mean, and that moment of human to human connection is valuable, not just to the person for whom one is trying to provide a bit of help, but to the one who is giving, as well.

Everytime any of else us helps someone in need, we humanize ourselves more, we become more capable of empathy and understanding. It was heart wrenching to see a fellow human being whose life circumstances put him in the situation of having to sleep outside in a blizzard, but how much more painful to know I did nothing at all.

I know that's when the numbness that you describe kicks in for me, because I can't afford to beat myself up, emotionally, for what I don't do to help. It's such a fine line to walk between compassion and just giving up because of the perceived futility in trying to help so many who need so much.

Hearing from a like minded soul who lives in my neck of the woods is uplifting. Just knowing there's someone else in this area who adheres to the philosophy of doing what you can, when you can, to help your fellow citizen, is a glimmer of hope for me.

Thanks for everything you've done...:pals: MKJ

[catmandu57]

37. Thank you

Bless you, may your kindness never be forgotten and may you recieve repayment many times over without ever asking.

[mandyky]

39. K & R

You brought tears to my eyes. Thank you and God Bless you and your husband!

[rhiannon55]

40. Thank you for warming my heart, along with

that poor man's heart and spirit. You are a lovely, lovely person.