Unfortunately, we have all experienced this.
We have been in our cars and have passed men, women and children who are homeless.
Some have cardboard signs asking for food or assistance, ‘God Bless’, some are pushing all of their possessions in a shopping cart.
Some are sitting or laying down on a bus stop bench.
Some are in deep conversation when they are alone, unable to quell the voices they hear talking back.
We don’t know what to do most of the time…. we are so busy trying to fix ourselves that reaching out to a person in such a plight seems so overwhelmingly daunting.
There’s just so many.
I’m right there with you.
We’re pissed that all the great minds can’t find a better way, and most are resigned to continuing towards our destination.
Mike Nance feels us.
He works at WIN Waste Innovations in Norwalk, Connecticut as a sanitation driver and worker.
Not a day or an hour goes by when he doesn’t see someone that society has abandoned.
And then on that Thursday morning on February 17th, he saw her.
She was carrying the bags that held her earthly belongings, talking to herself with tears in her eyes.
And something broke inside Mike.
His heart, probably.
“Anytime you see somebody walking around with everything that they own, talking to themselves—I don't know. It just took over me."
He pulled his truck over, got out and walked over to her.
She saw him walking towards her and she sat down on a stone wall.
At first, he introduced himself and gave her some money from his wallet.
But he sensed that she needed much more than just money.
How alone she was. How scared. How close to the edge.
"So I hugged her. I said a prayer, and that was it," he said in modesty.
Except it wasn’t.
He hugged her and talked with her and prayed with her for over five minutes.
They were being observed from across the street, by the two owners of Dave & Charlie's Hometown Deli, Dave Kuban and Carlos Gonzales, who were getting ready for the morning rush.
Said Carlos, "We saw him hugging her for, I don't know, I want to say five minutes if that. But it was a real hug."
And she was crying.
When was the last time she felt a compassionate touch, a warm hold?
After Mike had continued on his route, they went across the street to offer the woman a meal.
And told her she could always have breakfast there, so she could always start the day with a meal.
It was they who reached out to find this good man.
They located Mike through Facebook, to thank him for giving them and the community hope and offer him a meal every morning to start his day off with a warm appreciation.
Said a humble Mike, “I'm a garbage man. We're about the community. I'm about the community. I love Norwalk. I'm from Norwalk. I was born here. So whatever I can do to help, that's what I'm going to do."
I wish nothing more than to say that the woman is off the streets, warm and secure, and getting the help and healing she needs.
Alas.
How I wish we could tackle this complex societal issue of homelessness with expediency and compassion.
And, like now already.
But individually, we do what we can do when we can do it.
And seeing Mike reach out just might make it a little easier to do likewise, in some small but meaningful way when the opportunity presents itself.
Cause it won’t be truly small for us, nor the one we’re serving.
If you feel so inclined, you can contact Waste Innovations and send kudos to Mike.
One can never have too many pats on the back for a job well done.
(Community member, teacher and righteous sister bkamr has spent 15 years developing and distributing inexpensive Winter Shelter Bedrolls and Homeless Survival Packages, most items can be purchased almost anywhere.
If so inclined, please message her.
She’d love to help you help others.)
Please indulge my whimsy, as I feel compelled to end this bittersweet story with this, and I know we all feel this to our very marrow.…..
Solidarity to the sisters and brothers and country of Ukraine.
We love you, we mourn with you, and we will not abandon you in your hour of need.
Ukraine is not yet dead, nor its glory and freedom,
Luck will still smile on us brother-Ukrainians.
Our enemies will die, as the dew does in the sunshine,
and we, too, brothers, we'll live happily in our land.
We'll not spare either our souls or bodies to get freedom
and we'll prove that we brothers are of Kozak kin.
Long Live Ukraine