The Word from the Streets - December 25 , 2002

Merry Christmas!

What a place to be on Christmas Day! Being on the streets today, brought up feelings of both joy and sadness to the many volunteers that participated today. It was so beautiful that so many people wanted to spend their Christmas Day with our guys on the street. For me, I originally thought of this day as another Wednesday street meals day. I soon discovered that there were many situations that touched my heart, and even brought me sadness. The times that I was touched was when so many of our guys hugged and thanked us for being here today. Other beautiful moments were when some of our new people would engage in conversations and even hugs with the guys. For many of the volunteers, they had never had such an opportunity to be so close to homeless folks before. Several of the volunteers were very interested in hearing more about our street meal program. They were so touched and amazed that we knew so many of the guys names. The whole day was such a beautiful eye-opening experience for so many. This is how we continue to grow. We are not only doing seva by going out and doing our programs weekly, but also by taking others out and showing them that there are special people everywhere. In the words of our beloved Ma Jaya Sati Bhagavati, "There are no throw away people!" 

When we arrived at Central Park today, the cold winds were almost unbearable for us. There weren't too many people hanging around. I was hoping that this was a good sign. Maybe many of the people were with their families. Our Connie really touched me today and almost brought me to tears. On top of the hill was a big blanket pile. I knew that our Connie had to be that lone soul up there. I called out" Hey Connie, is that you?" All of sudden a head pops out and shouts "Hey Michele!" She was so happy to see us and wished us a merry Christmas. She told me that her son was coming to pick her up and take her home. I pray with all my heart that this will happen. She continued by saying, maybe he'll let her stay with him for a few months. I asked her for a hug and said "Connie, I hope I don't see you again...And I say that with all of the love in my heart...you deserve to be away from here!" I told her that we loved her so much. We tend to get attached to seeing our regulars every week. In come cases, some have been able to get employment and get off the streets. And actually, several of them that have will come by on Wednesdays and visit us and tell us how well they're doing. This is the bliss of service. When you can reach out and touch even just one person, that's divine love.

Thank you Baba Neem Karoli
Thank you Ma Jaya Sati Bhagavati
Thank you Jaya Devi Bhagavati

Forever grateful to serve,
Sadhu