I have a sweet journal book, titled, “Do Something Beautiful Each Day.” It gives an example of something you can do,/think/say/pray that is beautiful in some way.
I looked up today’s option….
September 1st… Make eye contact with a homeless person or someone you don’t know. Say, “hi, how are you?”
“Great timing,” I thought. Today was the day our family serves a local homeless group. There are the regulars, the ones who we can (almost) always count on to show up, enjoy our lunch, and some even ask for prayer. We look forward to reconnecting and sharing each other’s lives. There are also quite of few that we see once, or a few times a year at most.
Today, I decided, I was going to focus on looking into everyone’s eyes. It is very easy for me to into “Martha” mode, and, organize, organize, organize, facilitate, facilitate, facilitate. Stopping and connecting on a personal level is more of a challenge, especially when there are things that need tending to.
The group was smaller than typical. Still, we got to see a few of our regulars. One such regular is Henry. It saddened me to see him ride up on his bike, with his face all torn up and bruised, and having a brace for his ribs and arm. A group of teens jumped and attacked him. Because the group was small, some of the adults who are there to serve were able to spend good one on one time with him.
When I looked into his eyes, I saw a deep sadness and pain, veiled behind stoicism. I let him know that what happened to him was not okay, and that I was sorry it happened to him.
Toward the end, when we were getting ready to break down our setup, one of my favorite regulars, Jackie, showed up. I gave her a big hug and focused on looking into her eyes. As she was updating me on what was going on back at their camp, I saw a peace, and inner contentment, even amidst hard circumstances. She said that the police have not been hassling them lately, so that has been good. She shared who had their tents and sleeping bags stolen (this always happens), and was in need of a can opener. She has beautiful smile, even though she only has a few teeth left.
I then spent the rest of the day focused on looking into my friend’s eyes, my boy’s eyes, my husband’s eyes. I realized I don’t do this nearly often enough. A simple connection. So simple, yet so fruitful. Catching a glimpse of their soul, and letting them glimpse mine. Revealing truth, love, intimacy, vulnerability.