The Sandwich

With one hand, he opened the door for us. In his other hand, he clutched a cardboard sign. Homeless.
My two older granddaughters and I thanked him as we walked into McDonalds. He stayed outside while we ordered our lunch. We ate. He sat.
His plight tugged at me. We talked about his situation and how difficult it must be.
“We’ll buy him a sandwich,” I told them. What kind of grandmother would I be to ignore him?
“I’ll go get it,” Caitlynn said quickly with a smile. “Can I take it out to him?”
“No, we’ll wait until we leave.”
When we looked outside, he was gone. However, another homeless man had appeared at the curb with his small dog.
As we started toward him, Caitlynn took her sister’s hand. “What do I say?”
“Tell him we have a sandwich for him. Look him in the eye,” I answered.
The two teenagers approached the unkempt man on the curb. He looked up.
She thrust the small bag at him and said, “Here is a sandwich for you.”
“Thank you.”
“We never know what people have been through,” Caitlyn said as we returned to our car.
How right she was. For anyone, especially teenagers, to look beyond themselves was an important discovery. Few words but important lessons. Reach out to touch lives and feel compassion. Let people know they are special and not just an annoyance. Children learn from our actions more than our words.

Matthew 18: 4-6 “Therefore, whoever humbles himself like this child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven. And whoever welcomes a little child like this in my name welcomes me. But if anyone causes one of these little ones who believe in me to sin, it would be better for him to have a large millstone hung around his neck and be drowned in the depths of the sea.”

Dear Father, show me how I can be an example of your love. Amen