labre.

one of my roommates last year explained to me the difference between "homeless people " and "people who are homeless." another roommate taught me that trust is hard to regain when someone has proved to be untrustworthy. my third roommate reminded me what true gratitude entails and exemplified how i can indeed show God that i am thankful for all that i have been blessed with. all three of these lessons have actualized for me, especially after my involvement with the saint benedict joseph labre project at st. ignatius high school. what made me think back to these memories and morals? well, tonight was the first night in quite some time that i was given the opportunity to provide nourishment and company to some folks who are living on the streets of cleveland. and boy, was i glad i got that chance (this time alongside john carroll university students), because i forgot how special this activity can be. throughout the course of our van route, which made eleven stops in all, i think the one liner that made me stop and smile was when a man by the name of charles said to a few students gathered around him, "say thank you always and give back when you can." what simple, yet beautiful words that i was able to catch this evening. man, i only hope that i can grow as close to the Lord as some of these folks have become. poor in the eyes of men and women, but rich in the eyes of God, saint benedict joseph labre, please pray for ALL OF US.