.75 cents

You would think that after 2 years in Grenada seeing people in pretty severe poverty would have slapped me in the face by now, right?

Would I be calloused to it?
Would I be extra sensitive?

A man in Grenada once told me that he thought that urban poverty was so much worse than poverty that one in Grenada would face.  He said - "here in Grenada there is always fruit on the trees and fish in the sea, but in a major city in the US.... a person could really starve there"

Saturday was a semi stressful day for me.
Stressful in the biggest, brattiest way.
I found a couch I wanted and didn't get it.  so I was sad.
yes sad about a couch. get over it I know.

Then we tackled the tasks of finding me a cell phone.
money money money money = stress.

And I wasn't feeling well.  I wasn't hungry so I sat in a Subway and watched Lee eat a meatball sub.... so it made me extra sick (ok so that's kind a a joke) but what happened next has made me feel guilty for days.... a real kinda sick, you know?

As we were walking out of the Subway there was a woman sitting on a bench and she said "excuse me!! would you possibly have .75cents?? I'm stuck and need to get a bus home"  (Mind you we live in Detroit now.  Public Transportation is pretty big, especially amongst the less fortunate)
My initial thought was ignore her. keep walking.

So that's what I did.
I didn't even for a split second consider her plight.

Lee said "I'm sorry I don't have any money" (my sweet precious boy..... he really and truly doesn't have any money, nor does he ever.  I carry all the money in this household)
Then my thoughts turned to "yea right she's going to think we're lying!  we just came out of a Subway"
bearing no mind to the woman who humbled herself enough to ask a stranger for .75cents....
I then began to look for money only because I didn't want to lie or have her think I was lying.  the only reason.  I felt about 0 compassion for her..... I was way too busy being upset about my upset stomach and my couch that got away.

In the top of my purse, lying all alone was a $1 bill.  God put that dollar there.

I took out the dollar and handed it to Lee to take to the woman..... taking no time of my own to walk it over......

and she exclaimed " OH! THAT'S MORE THAN I NEED.... I only needed .75cents for the bus!! THANK YOU THANK YOU!"

a dollar was more than she needed.

I then managed to find the decency to smile and wave goodbye to her.

lets just say that by the time I got to the car I was holding back the tears...
ashamed by my lack of compassion and thankful that I had received the wake up call in time. 






Dear God,  please soften my heart and help me to be a giver.  Let others be my focus.  Remove all traces of selfishness and let me act according to your will. Help me to not question or ignore a request for .75cents.


“Great opportunities to help others seldom come, but small ones surround us every day.”
-Sally Koch