I've heard all kinds of stories about how people realize their "Aha" moments, the stories are simple but compelling and amazingly touching. One can't help but to get moved and teary as the stories are told.
My "Aha" moment, and hopefully one of many to come, came one day when I was leaving a shopping center called "The Avenue".
The area is new construction and kind of 'hip', is the place all the teenagers want to be seen at. It has all the coolest stores and the nice restaurants and such, honestly I like to go there as often as I possibly can. Vanity? perhaps. But who doesn't like nice things and nice places? I do.
That particular day I went to The Avenue to buy a pair of shoes (Yeah, I love shoes. Go figure.), and when I walked out of the store it had started to sprinkle, not too hard but according to the meteorologist, it was going to get heavier as the day went on, luckily I'm always prepared and I had my handy umbrella with me.
At one of the exits of The Avenue, there was a girl standing at a corner and she had with her a dog. She looked like the typical wanderer, her mid length hair was matted dreads. I have to say, the dog had a better hair do than her.
She was asking for change and that's one thing I always make sure I have with me in the car, a few coins or a couple of one dollar bills. I know some people condemn the fact that some of us hand money to panhandlers, but I can not find peace within myself if I don't give those people at least a couple of coins. I hate to think that they might use it to buy drugs or alcohol, so I choose to think that they will use it to buy food. (That's my hope)
My daughter had ask me that same question, and my answer to her is: if they use the money the wrong way it's up to them. If I give them a dollar, it won't make them any richer but also won't bankrupt me, and you'll never know the reason why they are standing on the street asking for help. I tell her, I put myself in their shoes and imagine the 'what if's'.
It looked like the girl had been standing in the rain for a while because her coat was getting wet. I could see her shoulders already getting soaked.
I dug through my purse and could not find a single damn coin. I hated that! Even more when I looked at the dog standing right beside her just closing its eyes protecting them from the raindrops that were falling and getting a bit heavier.
As I approached the red light and stopped, she made eye contact with me for a moment. I didn't lower the window because of the sprinkles and because I didn't have any change to give, she then walked a couple of steps back in hope of getting some change from the people in the cars behind me. She ordered the dog to stay and it didn't move one step. Me being a dog lover noticed that right away.
The light turned to green and I drove away but the thought of her standing out there in the rain with her dog struck me. I just couldn't go any farther knowing that I hadn't given the girl anything, then suddenly I thought about the umbrella I had in the car.
Bingo!
So I drove back around and into the shopping center, went back to the stop light, and I believe God's hand is on everything because the light was again red!
Hallelujah!
I stopped, rolled the window down, called the girl and told her I didn't have any money but wanted her to have the umbrella. She took it, thanked me and opened it right away to keep some of the rain of her and her dog...
And that my friends is one of my "Aha" moments. Give what you can, when you can.
