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<\/p>\n\u201cA simple act of kindness can change a life. I\u2019m not saying my small act of kindness changed a life\u2026 but I would like to believe that it will have a ripple effect in a positive way.<\/p>\n
I was working in downtown Portland, Oregon, on a large event. At the end of the first day my feet were sore, and I was tired. Although I live in the Portland Metro area, I was staying at a Hotel the first night of the event so I could easily kick things off on Tuesday \u2013 our biggest day. I decided that I would take a walk and try and find my favorite shoe store since I am downtown maybe once every couple of years. I headed in that direction, the weather was a perfect Pacific NW Fall day, a warm 65 degrees, cool breeze, leaves blanketing the sidewalks. I soon discovered that the store I loved had moved to a part of Portland that would take me at least 30 minutes to walk to. I contemplated getting a Lift or walking the 2 miles. My feet hurt from being on them all day, and the thought of walking 2 miles was not appealing, but on the other hand\u2026 I was enjoying the beautiful fall weather and the energy of the city, so I decided to walk.<\/p>\n
Portland, like most large cities I would imagine, has a homeless crisis and most of the homeless are downtown sidewalk residents. I passed many of the homeless during my walk, and then about half way I came across a young man that reminded me of my own son. He was sitting quietly with his little Pitty (my favorite dog breed) so I walked over, kneeled and told him I didn\u2019t have any cash on me before I asked if I could pet his dog. We chatted for a few minutes. He told me his dog\u2019s name was Toothless, he was headed to California and hoped to be sitting on a beach with Toothless soon.<\/p>\n
\u2018I have to get to the store before it closes, but if you\u2019re still here when I make the return walk, I\u2019ll make sure to stop with some cash for you,\u2019 I told him.<\/p>\n
He was super sweet and tugged at my heart strings. My own son was that young man not too long ago, living on the streets, addicted, holding a sign, begging for money, and I had no idea where he was or if he was alive or dead.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
I crossed the street, rounded a corner and immediately began looking for an ATM. Funny enough, an older homeless man heard me asking someone if they knew where an ATM was and the homeless, old man directed me to an ATM just inside Powels Book Store, which is where I was standing directly in front of. Decision time\u2026 I had 25 minutes to get to my shoe store before they closed\u2026 or keep walking, forgo the shoes and get some money \u2013 head back to that young man. I got the money, headed back to where I had seen him just 5 minutes earlier. As I was headed back however, I was prompted to make this exchange mean something. Even better, I knew right away what that meant. I had a plan, all within a span of a few minutes.<\/p>\n
His backpack was there, yet he was not. A quick look around would find him across the street talking with another homeless young man with yet another beautiful dog that needed my lovin\u2019s! I quickly made my way across the street, and as I approached \u2013 he recognized me. I quickly and quietly handed him a $20 and as I did, I said, \u2018How long has it been since you have talked to your mom?\u2019 He replied, \u2018Oh, it\u2019s been a long time, I don\u2019t really know.\u2019 I said, \u2018I\u2019d like you to do me a favor. Call your mom and let her know you are alive and ok \u2013 will you do that for me?\u2019 His face lit up and immediately he said, \u2018Sure, I\u2019ll call her right now if I can borrow your phone.\u2019 I\u2019ll admit there was a nano second of hesitation that if I handed this kid my phone he might take off with it\u2026 But I handed it to him because God was obviously in control and He just kept telling me that I needed to do this.<\/p>\n
The young man called his mom. She answered right away and they began visiting. I wanted him to be able to talk to his mother without a nosey bystander, so I knelt down and began chatting with the other young man while petting his sweet dog. He was a little older, a little wiser and kind. I also asked him about his mom and I also gave him a few bucks. He told me his mom had been on meth since before his birth and a call to her would be meaningless. I felt such a pang of hurt for him. About that time, the other kid was telling me that his mom wanted me to hug him for her, and then he put her on speaker. I wish I could describe in words the reaction she had \u2013 her tone, her excitement, her relief at hearing her son\u2019s voice. She was confused at who I was, as the young man tried to explain I was \u2018just someone who stopped to give him some money.\u2019 She asked me to hug him for her and he said, \u2018Oh mom, she doesn\u2019t want to hug me, I am filthy and I stink.\u2019 She thanked me, he took her off speaker and said his goodbye\u2019s. After he hung up and handed my phone back, he said again, \u2018She really wanted you to hug me for her, but I know I stink.\u2019 I didn\u2019t care\u2026 he needed the hug, his mom needed me to hug her son\u2026 so I hugged him tight, and he hugged me tight. I hugged him like I would have held my own son, for a long time, with a mother\u2019s love \u2013 a love that has no boundaries, stench or not, homeless, high\u2026 doesn\u2019t matter. I told him I wished him well and I hoped he was sober, would be ok and to please, please, please stay in touch with him momma.<\/p>\n
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<\/p>\n
The story doesn\u2019t end there\u2026 It would be 2 weeks before I gathered the courage and listened to the soft, nagging voice to call his mother myself. After all, her number was still in my phone. I listened as the phone rang, secretly hoping no one would answer, my heart pounding \u2013 did I just imagine how happy she was, make up a story in own head because that\u2019s what I would have wanted? Relief came with voicemail \u2013 however, I did leave her a message, then hung up and went about my day. Less than FIVE minutes later my phone rang. It was a Missouri number, it was her \u2013 that kid\u2019s mom! She and her husband were camping and barely had service, she saw a missed call from Oregon and said to her husband \u2013 \u2018That was a number from Oregon, oh my gosh did I miss a call from John?!\u2019 They immediately drove to a parking lot on a hill where they could get limited reception. She was near tears when she called me back \u2013 I wasn\u2019t John (yes, now I know his name), but I was \u2018that woman who met her son and asked him to call her.\u2019<\/p>\n
Not only was I \u2018that woman,\u2019 I was a mom who knows the struggle, who won\u2019t judge, who understands. We didn\u2019t talk long \u2013 long enough to know we have traveled the same road with our sons, long enough to learn she has a son in law enforcement and a son with a record, and so do I, long enough to learn that she has hadn\u2019t heard from her son in five long weeks which was unusual \u2013 she wasn\u2019t even sure he was alive and had been praying for her son to call her \u2013 long enough to know I had been a vessel and answer to her prayers. She asked if she could call me when she returned home in a few days. I am confident I have found another sister in this journey of addiction and emotional disorders, another lifeline, another connection.<\/p>\n
I posted a much shorter version of this story on Facebook the evening I met John \u2013 my attempt to raise awareness, implore people to be kind and look beyond the sign, beyond the stench, beyond the begging, and see the face\u2026 because that face is missed and loved by someone. One of the responses on my post was \u2018tonight you hugged all of our struggling sons.\u2019<\/p>\n
My message to you\u2026 hug someone\u2019s struggling son or daughter. Look beyond what you see on the outside, pay attention to that inner voice \u2013 whatever that is for you \u2013 for me, it\u2019s God. Listen, love and hug!<\/p>\n
PS: I ordered my shoes online that evening.\u201d<\/p>\n
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