Taking care of each other

I rarely keep cash in my wallet. I feel like I spend it faster when I do. I don't know why actual cash feels like some kind of bonus but it does. I had an experience tonight that makes me want to keep a small stash on me at all times.

I had been to Target and was finished loading my purchase into the back of my car. As I came around the corner of the driver side there was a rather scruffy looking gentleman that passed me. I smiled at him. He was at the back of my car as I opened the door and he said "how are you?" To which I replied "I'm doing fine, how are you?" He said "I'm talking to you because you don't look scared" Maybe I'm too trusting but he looked harmless enough and I told him so. He said he was trying to come up with enough $$ to get a room for the night but noticed the characters of my family in my back window and said "I see you have kids, you need to take care of them first." I told him that I didn't have any cash but if I did I would have been happy to share it with him, that my kids had enough.

As I was driving home the idea came to me that I would get some cash from Pat and take it back to him. When I got back to the parking lot he was gone. I looked for a few minutes but never found him. I don't know if he was really trying to get a room for the night or not I just felt compelled to help if I could.

Isn't that what we are supposed to do? As parents we want our kids to love and take care of each other, it only makes sense that our Father in Heaven expects the same of us. It wasn't up to me to judge this man, I don't know what brought him to the circumstance he is in. What I do know is that I am grateful I'm not in his shoes, depending on the mercy of strangers just to have a roof over my head for one night. For that reason alone I wish I had found him.