Somebody to Recognize

     I stuck up a conversation with a stranger. He was begging on the streets of Boston. One of his feet was missing from cancer.
     He told me he’s a veteran. I asked him about his experiences in the Army. He shared a story about his deployment to Panama. The man was well spoken. We enjoyed the conversation.
     Years ago, I would have handed a donation to this man and kept moving. Nowadays I also chat with homeless people. My approach changed after reading books about the late Mother Teresa. She pointed out that it’s not only a lack of money, but a lack of love, that causes the destitute to suffer.
     Here is one such quotation from her: “People (those who are homeless) have forgotten what the human touch is, what it is to smile, for somebody to smile at them, somebody to recognize them, somebody to wish them well. The terrible thing is to be unwanted.”