And I said, "Thank you," with a smile.

It had been a very long day at the office, one I would just as soon forget. I knew times were tough, but I wasn’t expecting to lose my job. The reality that I would be facing the unemployment ranks in the morning was still sinking in. “Why,” I wondered, “does life have to be so unfair sometimes?”

The bitter wind took my breath away as I headed for my car. A bout of wet snow the past several days had caked my car in a combination of dried muck and road salt. “I’ll get it washed this weekend,” I thought, “but right now I just want to get home.” As I hurried across the parking lot in the growing darkness, avoiding the occasional patch of ice, I noticed a figure in the distance who seemed to be crouched over the hood of my car. “What the heck?!” I muttered as I picked up my pace to investigate this unwelcome surprise. As I approached, I watched the tall thin man turn to face me.

My first instinct was to take a defensive posture in case this stranger dared to confront me. But my aggressive stance melted the moment the light of the overhead lamppost illuminated his face. Before me was not a man with ill intent, but a man with the most peaceful, friendly blue eyes, that seemed to burn a hole right through to my heart.

“Hello,” he said. “Rather cold out tonight.”

“Yes,” was all I replied, still entranced by something I saw in his face. There was a story behind those blue pools that danced in the light. His face was well worn, probably from years of exposure to sun and wind. He was dressed in layers of tattered, but clean old clothes, barely enough to fight off the cold for even a short period of time. Beside him was his pack. I guessed it contained the sum of his possessions. And in his hands he held a rag and a spray bottle with a remnant of blue liquid.

“Thought your windshield needed a bit of cleaning,” he said, interrupting my thoughts, “so you could clearly find your way tonight.”

“Uh, thanks,” I managed, while thinking, if he only knew.

“Rough day?” he asked.

“You could say that,” I answered, wondering if I had given something away in my face. But even as the words came out I felt a twinge of guilt thinking that my life was hard compared to his. What did I have to complain about? Sure I had lost my job today, but at least I had a warm place to lay my head tonight. What about this man?

(To be continued tomorrow)

Thank you for reading and be well.

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