Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
The man stopped and smiled, “Sure.”
I gave him the song and dance that we all know by now: journey around the world,
Kindness One, no money, no food, no gas, no place to stay for the night. And then I came
to my punch line, “Can I live in your house tonight?”
Can I live in your house tonight! What are you thinking, man?
His response was not what I was expecting. He smiled softly at me as he explained,
“Unfortunately I don't have a house. I'm homeless right now.”
He continued, “But if I did, you'd be more than welcome there, as I've always opened
my doors to strangers in the past. I live outside right now—in fact just a few feet from
where we're standing, right over there.”
He pointed to a small courtyard beyond the park. I didn't know what to say. I honestly
hadn't expected his response. I found out his name was Tony, and to be honest, Tony didn't
look homeless. He looked like a hard-working man walking home after a long day on the
job.
I finally managed to reply, “You seem like someone with a very kind heart.”
“So I've been told,” he laughed. “I've always been kindhearted. I was raised that way.”
He paused for a moment, before offering sheepishly, “If you need a place to stay though,
you're more than welcome to stay with us.”
I realized that he meant joining him and his friends on the streets. I'll admit—a part of
me was afraid, and another part of me was concerned that I would be taking from people
who had so little, but there was something about Tony's offer that made me feel like he
really wanted to help. I sensed that he wanted the opportunity to give. And I was learning
just how good that could feel.
I smiled, my hand falling upon my heart, “Well, if your friends are willing to have me,
and you're willing to have me, then I would be grateful to stay with you.”
“We'd appreciate that,” he nodded as though he had been waiting all day for me to show
up. “We'd enjoy it.”
We walked over to his camp, where four other people were already hanging out, in-
cluding Tony's good friend Richard. They seemed slightly surprised by my entrance, but
as we sat down and began to chat, everyone started to relax into the time-old tradition of
storytelling.
Tony shared how his life had brought him to the park. I don't know why some win in
the lottery of fate while others are constantly dealt a rough hand, but Tony seemed to be
a good man who had been through a bad life. After his father died when he was eight, his
