I was shocked by this image the other day; three young woman, not a care in this world, taking photos nearest a man in desperate need.

While they paraded about in their Louboutins, this dear man cowered without shoes.

What’s going on in this world today, when we can so easily turn away from another’s pleadings?

As I look more closely at this picture, I wonder – do they even see him there? Or, is it that they’ve deemed his audience unworthy. Certainly, not enough to ‘spoil the shot’ – nor, grave enough to dampen their smile.

And then, my heart pauses for a moment to reflect – I wonder what that old man is feeling?

It draws to mind a conversation I once had with a homeless man on the streets of Washington D.C. Naively, I presumed, “The winters must be the hardest part.”

To which he replied, “Not even close. Feeling invisible is.”

I think sometimes, it’s easier to walk past. After all, how can we change an entire life in a single day?

But, what we fail to realize is something much more profound – that is, a simple kindness can go a long, long way.

To share a warm beverage on a cold winter’s day…or, an overcoat to help with the winds?

Though, perhaps the greatest gift we might ever provide – is that of our simple presence.

Author, Wallace Stegner once said, ““Home is a notion that only nations of the homeless fully appreciate and, only the uprooted can comprehend.”

I think it’s potentially much more than that. As, perhaps within these faces we recognize the shadows of our own deepest fears.

And, though we may not be able to change a whole world in one day – at the very least, we can give a man a pair of shoes.