I remember once many years meeting a young woman living on the streets.

Her face had been worn through this experience of life, and yet – her eyes held a fascinating glint.

“Someday,” she smiled. “I’m going to have a house of my own. But first, I have to help out my friend.”

She pointed to a makeshift shelter by the roadside; a shelter comprised mostly of another person’s trash. The rain had caused the cardboard to warp, threatening to expose the frailty of life inside.

“I need to find a tarp just about this big,” she motioned with her hands. “When that’s done, then I’ll go home,” she winked.

We spent the next several hours reinforcing the bits of cardboard with an old tarp we’d found by the railway. Using extra ropes, we fashioned an actual ‘working’ front door.

As I’d only $20 left in my pocket, I had to promise I’d return to check on the old man’s welfare. And, I have ever since – carrying clothing, coffee and goodies in exchange for the delight of his stories.

Each time I visit, I think of the young woman who thought more of another than her own simple needs. In the months leading up to her departure, we had been working to reunite her with family – in the hopes that she might one day piece remnants of her seemingly shattered life.

I had mistakingly viewed her as vulnerable and weak – though, didn’t she end up teaching me a thing or two.

“It’s the every time doing,” she used to say. “That’s what God intended.”

To this day, I carry her ‘every time’ with me, always.

When I think of her, I’m reminded of the venerable Mother Teresa, who once said:

“If we have no peace, it is because we have forgotten that we belong to each other.”

Yes, we belong to one another, my loves – not just once in a while, but throughout every single moment.

And,

No matter how ‘poor’, we always have something to give.

In peace…

Namaste ❤️