A few months ago, a new person walked through the doors of the drop-in.
He was friendly but seemed very cautious. He asked a lot of questions….as if he wasn’t sure if he could trust what we were up to. So I showed him around and tried to give him some answers. I offered him coffee and invited him to sit with some others who were playing cards.
About an hour later, he came to find me again. His demeanor had completely changed – he looked happy and excited.
“Did you see those women washing feet? I can’t believe that!” (He was referring to our foot care volunteers, who wash and care for the feet of our street friends.)
He said he wasn’t used to seeing this level of kindness –just a few days before he had been released after spending several years in jail. Jail was rough, and kindness was rare. He said he couldn’t believe the kindness of the volunteers at the drop-in.
The very next week, my new friend brought in 3 handmade dream catchers – one for me and one for each of the foot care volunteers. He said he wanted to extend kindness back to us.
Since then, my new friend has attended drop-in every week. He always arrives with a smile and offers to lend a helping hand.
Here is a photo of the dream catcher he made me. A reminder to me of how meaningful kindness can be.