Living on the Road

Part I

Four years ago I passed them by. My visor shielded me from view as they walked by the window of my Mitsubishi Galant , my gaze locked on the traffic signal. I pretended they didn’t exist and looked forward to the light turning green. We’ve all seen them and maybe you’ve avoided them too- the homeless guy on the side of the road holding the sign.

The way I thought about the homeless began changing after I came across a blog post of a woman who had a change of heart (wish I could find that post today). She too had been ignoring the guy on the side of the road until her young son started asking questions about the man holding a sign. Her boy’s compassion helped her to view the un-kept man a little differently. It wasn’t very long before they made a plan of how they could help homeless people traveling through their city.

The story of that mom and how her heart became softened toward the homeless began changing my heart too. I began seeing the homeless on the side of the road differently. They are people who are living a story of pain and rejection. I assumed they had chosen the life of a beggar. They are ignored, judged, and despised. They walk mile-after-mile looking for shelter and food with few people willing to give them the time of day. I was one of those people who would rather ignore and judge than consider how I could help them live a better story. I realized that I had an opportunity to help them live a better story even if only for a few minutes.

Last week I was taking my daughter to orchestra practice when I noticed a homeless man holding a sign at the light. I was out of cash and so my gaze locked on the signal. He remained on my mind as I drove through town. After dropping off my daughter, I headed back to the highway. I began to wonder what might happen if others could hear the story of this homeless man? I decided to try to make his story part of a bigger story that might allow him to help other homeless travelers. I wondered if he would tell me his story.

When I returned to the exit he was no where to be found. I knew he couldn’t have gone far so I began to drive around the area looking for him. It wasn’t long before I found his worn bags piled outside of a convenience store. I walked up to him and introduced myself. We shook hands and he shared his name – Steven. His hands were clean and his grasp on my hand was firm. I told Steve that I would like to hire him to tell his story and I would pay $2 per minute for his time. I also asked if he minded if I record his story on my iphone so I could share it with others.

He agreed to share his story and this video is part 1 of what life is like for him on the road.

Watch part II of Steve’s story
Watch part III of Steve’s story

Related posts:

1. Living on the Road II
2. Living on the Road III
3. Ian’s Story – Homeless on the Road
4. Living the Story of God on Earth
5. Living a Story of Hope and Healing