Impromptu post on our drive back from the beach…
I try my best to teach my children kindness. I try to teach them if they can make someone’s day a little brighter to do it. If my daughter tells me she thinks someone is pretty I encourage her to let them know (she does this often). We can all use a random compliment once in a while. I try to teach them they should treat others how they want to be treated. I try to teach them if they see someone being left out to try and include them. I try to teach them that it is okay to be different, because how boring would it be if we were all the same? I try to teach them that if they can help someone, they should.
Back home we have a pretty large homeless population. We will often pack extra snacks or buy an extra meal if going through a drive through. I believe my kids are smart, able to handle real life conversation about the people they see standing on the corner holding a sign. I’ve explained that in most cases nobody makes an intentional choice to be homeless. I’ve explained sometimes it’s bad choices, bad luck or other poor circumstances that lead that person to be without a home. I’ve taught them sometimes it’s the result of drug use or that their mental health isn’t well. I try to teach them they should always be cautious but also not to judge people based on their circumstance. Which brings me to my point. Today at the beach a of couple men and a women sat fairly closely behind us. It was clear they were homeless. I try not to judge others, but in today’s world having little ones I like to be sure I am constantly aware of my surroundings. One of the guys looked drunk or impaired somehow so I judged them as unsafe. I asked my husband to be sure to keep an extra eye on our kids.
A few hours passed by, the guy that had seemed under the influence wandered off and it was only the lady and another man who was sleeping left. The lady had been making beautiful fish, crosses, flowers and other things out of palm leaves. As we were getting ready to leave the lady asked if it was okay to give my daughter a flower. I told her it was and we went over and visited with her for a while. She kindly gave my daughter a rose and a cross, she gave my son a fish. We talked with her for a while and she confirmed they were homeless; her name was Gypsy and she has been without a home for almost two years. She stated she would sell her crafts to get by but she wanted to gift the kids theirs. We thanked her and went on our way. As we were leaving my daughter and I were talking, she was sad Gypsy doesn’t have a home or food. I explained that she could use the items Gypsy gave her as a reminder of her and that she could say a quick prayer for her safety and that she is fed whenever she see them.
Today I was humbled and reminded the importance of kindness and that we should never judge a book by its cover. I will continue to pray for the best for Gypsy.
💚Lyss
Life with Lyss 