It was just a few days before Christmas and you could feel the hustle and bustle in the air. Everyone had somewhere to go so the streets were full of shoppers. I was walking into work when I saw Laura. Laura is a youth on the streets who is heavily addicted to crack. She was crying so I stopped to make sure she was okay. I began to comfort her but she was sobbing and yelling and moving erratically on the side walk. Everyone who walked by us would stare at Laura. I could barely understand what Laura was saying, but then I heard her say over and over again “People don’t even treat me like a human!”
That’s when Jocelyne approached. (Jocelyne is an older woman who struggles with schizophrenia. She has lived on the streets for several years and rarely speaks to others, but can be abrasive at times). As you can imagine, I was nervous when Jocelyne approached us. But to my surprise, Jocelyne looked at Laura and gently asked “Do you need some spare change?” Laura nodded, hesitantly. Jocelyne then handed Laura a few dollars. She smiled at Laura and walked away.
Jocelyne’s kindness touched me. Despite the extremely difficult mental health challenges Jocelyne experiences, her gentle, kind and generous spirit still shines though. She was able to treat Laura in a loving, compassionate and humane way. I felt blessed to have witnessed this.