We see him all the time wandering around Southside Savannah. Is he hoping someone will offer him a meal? Does he go through the garbage cans when no one is looking? He is “Blue Eyes”, a homeless man who, if cleaned up, would strongly resemble St. Nick. He has the saddest, bluest eyes I have ever seen.
My son and I both worry for Blue Eyes. Has he eaten today? Is he too hot? Where will he sleep tonight? We’ve met him before, though few words were exchanged. We were sitting in McDonald’s and saw him. Jacob and I were sharing fries and a milkshake and Blue Eyes came shuffling in. People noticed him right away. His tattered clothes smelled and the looks people gave him made me feel ashamed to be among them.
I told Jacob I’d be right back. I went to the counter and purchased a gift card. I walked over to “Blue Eyes” who was filling up a cup with some cold water and tapped him on the shoulder. “Excuse me, sir, this is for you.” I handed him the gift card. I told him that he should get something to eat. His eyes sparkled and he said in such a kind voice, “You’re kidding.”
I didn’t do this because I wanted recognition or praise. But I did hope to teach Jacob a lesson that day – help others whenever and however you can. If we all did some small part it would all add up to something so much bigger.
When I see “Blue Eyes” I wonder how he got to this point. Does he have children? Did he have a wife he adored? When he was a young boy what did he dream of doing? And I marvel at the fact that we are all really so close to that same point, especially in times like these. We rely so much on things that are so uncertain – jobs, health, wealth.
When I was 10 my father became very ill and there were several times when we were probably very close to being without a home. Fortunately, it seems that every time we reached a dead end and were about to give up hope, someone helped us out. So now I will do that whenever I can. And I will teach my children that it is their duty to do that as well. It’s not really an option the way I see it.
It’s all about kindness. Random, magical, acts of unselfish kindness that bring smiles to the souls of others. Deep soul smiles. I believe you can never have enough of those.