Be Kind. No Exceptions.

As we pulled into Wal-Mart today, I saw a man sitting on the curb. He was unkempt; his hair long, his clothes dirty, with a baseball cap on and a small backpack at his side. I said nothing to Adam about this, and we went about our shopping. As we were leaving, he was still there. I had my blinker on to leave the parking lot when Adam said, "I want to give that guy some money." Without a pause, I quietly agreed and pulled to the side. I pulled a couple of dollars out of my wallet and handed it to him.

I watched in my rearview mirror as Adam walked over to the man, extended and shook his hand, and handed him the money. I saw the man smile, nod, and say thank you, and Adam turned around and walked back to the car. I asked him what else the man said, and Adam replied, "He said thank you, God Bless You, and have a gorgeous day."

I told Adam that I didn't think that all people who ended up homeless were there because of drugs or alcohol, but sometimes just bad decisions. He agreed. There was a time in Adam's life that he didn't have enough money at the end of the month for his medication, he walked everywhere, and at times, even couch surfed when his apartment caught fire.

I was humbled by Adam's simple decision to give this man a few dollars. It reminds me to be kind, to accept everyone and support people when they're down, even if you don't know them. Love and kindness is universal, and it goes a long way.

Some pessimists may say that the man might use the money for alcohol or drugs. Well, that may be. Frankly, we don't really care. He's down on his luck, and he needed a helping hand. You can't judge someone you don't know, but you can have an impact on their lives, even if it's just a moment and a few dollars. We won't miss those dollars, but it may make all the difference in the world to him.