I have another story that I haven't told very many people. I was thinking about it the other day when my electric wiring was stolen and i went to the scrap metal place to see if they had it. It is kind of embarrassing but since it almost 20 years ago I'll share it. It just shows the good in people.
It's no secret and many people know my background. I was homeless for over a year back in New York when I was younger. My dad had just died a few months earlier and I let my crack addiction ruin my life.
It was a night in late November and it was the first really cold night being homeless. My jeans had holes in the butt, i was wearing mesh type shoes with no socks and my dads old Members only jacket that was 4 sizes too big. I was freezing! Someone told me about a shelter that took people in. I was walking around and couldn't find it. I was too ashamed to see any normal people so I couldn't ask anyone. I saw a guy digging in a dumpster for cans. I went over to him and said something. He jumped a mile high and was scared to death. He had a hunched back, two black eyes and was in really rough shape. He was afraid I was going to hurt him. I asked him if he knew of the shelter. He told me they are always full and lock the door at 7 pm it was now around midnight. He saw how distraught I was and said "do you have anyplace else to go". I told him no. He said if you promise not to hurt me you can stay with me tonight. Out of absolute desperation I gratciously thanked him and accepted the offer. (Get your minds out of the gutter!!especially you Rob"!!!) While walking to his place he told me how some neighborhood kids alway beat him up and they broke his nose the day prior. This guy was in bad shape. We went up to his apartment which was a very small small room but it was clean. He asked if i was hungry and i was absolutely starved. He made us Mac and cheese. We talked for hours and he really had a very tough life. He was completely alone in the world. No family, no true friends. Other then gov. assistance he made his living from recycling aluminum cans. He told me a lot of very useful tips on how to get by on the street. He told me places to eat, places to stay and things that would help. He gave me a way to make a little bit of money that is not honest but.... He told me to go by the subway station and other busy public places. take a small piece of paper and ball it up and push it up in the coin return on the payphones. Every day you go back, stick your finger up the return and pull out the paper and you will get the quarters of people that their calls didn't get connected. They would think the phone ate their quarter. It did work and it did help me survive!
He was a very nice guy. I slept on his couch. The next morning he made me coffee and brought out a bunch of clothes. He said try these on. He ended up giving me a pair of pants, a sweat shirt a pair of sneakers.
He then gave me $5.00. I told him someday i would repay him which never happened. I told him how much I appreciated what he had done. I think he felt so good helping someone in worse shape than him!
Here a guy that has been beaten down by society and has about as little as a person could have would open up his home and help a stranger. A guy that gets beat up on a regular basis because of being deformed and the way he looks. Then he gives me clothes and $5.00 which to him was probably like hundreds to most of us.
The sad part is this is a guy I would never have talked to and probably crossed the street if he was coming my way.
I never got to repay him. I never saw him again. The first few times I went back to NY which was a couple of years later I did go to that area and look for him with no luck.
If I saw him today I would write him a check for $10K without blinking an eye. He helped me when I needed it most. There are a lot of people out their with big hearts. I learned a very valuable lesson from that guy. You don't have to have or do much to help someone that needs it. To this day I always help homeless people when I can. I know what it's like to be there and to need that help.

I know this isn't really the place for something like this but maybe someone will get something out of this.

Thanks!!

That's a very touching story, thanks for sharing it. We all need to be reminded of how we should help others in need. It seems like you hear so many stories about people who have very little, give the most to others in need. I learned along time ago, that you never judge someone by their appearance. If I had, I would have truly missed knowing some great honest giving people. Posted by Dan's wife Penny.

You have lived a truly incredible life. I am sitting at home right now feeling sorry for myself with a shattered knee from a boating accident, I fell into my boat, after I read this story I feel lucky to live the life I have lived.

wow! great story ! really makes you think, puts things in perspective!
Thanks for sharing :drink:

Very cool stories, It is always so easy to get caught up in the day to day things that acts of kindness are looked on a strange.It is amazing how much the little things mean even to kids. I was 12 years old and just came out of boys village(juvenile hall) and was rebelling against everything, their was an older guy with a neighboring farm who needed some help, I thought he was a little weird at first, but after a few days of working with him he started to share some stories of his life. he was a self made man, and his children were grown, i had known them as well, but he went back to school at the com college to learn more, they had great rates for seniors, and listening to him talk about school with a smile on his face made me stay in school, I did what i had to do to pass and graduated with a C+ avg, but I made it, he and his wife had shown me stability, that I hadn't seen from my dad...made a difference to me and my life, I was also friends with one of my English teachers, she checked and told me I had the 3rd highest IQ in the school, why were my grades so low. turns out I wasn't challenged enough, so my assignments were always a little different. those 2 adults that saw something stopped my criminal career very early.

Another great instance of what can, and does, happen. Makes you wonder about some who have it so well and won't do anything vs someone who tries their best with what they have. Thanks for the reminder Gino.

Gino, that jeweler did for you what someone previous did for him, and he wanted to repay the favor downline to humanity... your 10k offer is a reflection on what the jeweler did for you... kudo's man, i'm impressed.

JH

....And light on fire from the sun gleaming off his sunglasses.

Just kidding :grinser010: Great stories!

Thats Awesome Gino, He knew you will pay it foward