What started off as a routine trip to the grocery store took an odd twist last week. As I parked the car, I noticed three homeless people in a group by the back of the store by the
dumpster. One was a woman and she appeared to sobbing and was being consoled by one of the men in the group. She was pounding her fists on the wall of the store, the group looked concerned. Homeless people are a common sight in this area since there is a shelter nearby.After shopping, I put my bundles in the trunk of my car and returned the cart to the front of the store since the cart drop off areas were still snowed in. As I turned to go back to the car , the young homeless woman turned the corner and headed for the store entrance. When she was next to me our eyes met and became fixated on each other for what seemed like a long time but was probably just a few seconds. I asked her if she was OK , she nodded yes and entered the store.
On the way back to my car, I stopped by the consoling homeless man and asked him what was going on with the young woman. He said that she hadn't had anything but alcohol, no food, in her system for four days. He said she is 43 years old, has a child living with family and was sleeping at night outside behind a small local market. He also said that he hadn't seen her around for awhile but she was in the worst shape he had ever seen her and he was trying to get her to go to the shelter for food and a warm place to sleep at night. He said that she told him they would not let her into the shelter and he said it was because she would not sober up long enough to get in.
I said that I was sorry and got in my car. I just could not bring myself to leave. I couldn't get her face out of my mind and felt compelled to go I to the store and find her. She was exiting
the ladies room when I approached her, I told her my name and that I was a nurse and that I was concerned about her and wanted to buy her some soup. She refused saying that she had
laryngitis and couldn't swallow. After suggesting nice, warm, soothing Chicken Noodle, which is usually one of the hot soup offerings in this store, she relented and when we arrived at the soup station, of course they only had Hot Chili Soup or cream based soups which were not to her liking. We were standing in front of the deli and she said that she would really like
some pickles, dill pickles. I explained to her that you needed to have a sandwich with pickles so she thought about and said maybe the ham and cheese on marble rye would be OK as long as it had a lot of mustard. The counter boy found 3 little packages of mustard in the back. The pickle at the deli was not dill but half-sour and she wasn't sure about if she would like it but after I sternly urged the "we don't cut the pickles up" deli woman that this was important to me, she sliced it for me and off we went.
On the way to the check out one of her group from outside came in and thanked me for caring for his friend and we got in line. She refused water or a beverage but as we reached the cashier, she did look longingly at the packages of M&M's, so we got one. After leaving the cashier, she turned and hugged me and thanked me. I brought her and her friend, to whom she had already promised half of her sandwich, over to the benches in the store and when they looked frightened and unwelcome I told them they had the right to sit there since their food was purchased in the store. As I headed for the door, she came after me and asked me if she could hug me again. This last hug was unlike any hug I have had before. It was a long one, making me think that it may have been awhile since someone showed her that she was worthy of the attention and warmth of a stranger who saw her as a member of the human race and cared about her. She also told me that upon my urging she would try to go to the shelter and I can only hope that if she takes that
step perhaps she will seek help for her demons.
I know that many of you serve the poor, the needy, the homeless and the mentally ill in your daily lives which is why I actually hesitated to tell my story. I, too have been of service to people in these unfortunate situations during my lifetime.
There was, however, something different about this encounter. I will always believe that I was directed to help and comfort this young woman, was it the Holy Spirit that guided me, maybe,
but if I am called upon, I will do it again, it isn't much, just one person at a time.
"For the needy shall not always be forgotten
and the hope of the poor shall not perish forever"
Psalm 9:18