I live in New York City, and my neighbours are people I don't know. My city, neighbourhood and block are filled with people who don't know me, don't care to know me, and don't talk to me. I find that it's pretty hard to love people you don't even know. And sometimes, we all, myself included, use that as an excuse not to try. I read Brendan's story recently and was moved.
One day, Brendan, a young man in New York, was on the way back to his Brooklyn apartment when a homeless woman called Jackie asked him for money. He said that he had no money. By the end of the week, she asked two more times, and each time he answered "No". The woman looked sad, so Brendan said, "I am on my way to a job interview. If I get the job, I will take you out for Chinese food."
Brendan got the job. He took Jackie out for lunch. That was when their friendship began. They built a strong friendship by supporting each other and spending their birthdays, holidays and difficult times together, over a period of eight years. When Brendan's heater broke, Jackie made a blanket for him. Two days later when he told her that he had lost his job, she left and returned minutes later, bringing him food to eat. She continued to do that during the whole winter. Even with so little, she often gave back.
Over these years, Jackie moved from the streets and subway stations into a halfway house, and is now moving into an apartment. To celebrate it, Brendan wanted to do something special for Jackie. He went with her to Target, and helped her to pick out everything she would need for her new apartment.
May Brendan's story encourage us to find a new way to honour, serve and love the people around us.
