On most Saturdays I do something that has to do with selling homes. This past Saturday was kind of the opposite and it was amazing. I got to hang out with homeless people in downtown Reno. My church decided to do something a little different for our annual church picnic. We typically have a picnic in August in the park on Robb Drive across the street from our church. This year we took it downtown and we invited guests. Our guests were invited from a variety of agencies who do work with homeless folks. We all brought our own picnics and plenty of extra for all of our guests to share.
I hope our guests had a nice time. I know they were full when they left. I know I was full when I left but in a different way. Several little encounters filled my heart. Sort of like what happened to the Grinch.
When I first arrived one of our guests approached me. He was a sort of hunched over little man with the biggest smile I’ve ever seen. As he walked up to me I stuck out my hand to shake his. He ignored the hand and gave me a big bear hug. I was ashamed that I wasn’t the giver of the hug.
Later I watched Jane Albright (UNR Women’s Basketball court) give a Wolf Pack t-shirt to a guy named “Wolf”. He was moved beyond words as he stood up and removed the shirt he was wearing and replaced it with his new prized possession.
A little boy walked to the park by himself. He was invited as part of the Pathfinder’s group but his group wasn’t around yet. After assuring him that lunch was free and that his friends would be there soon, I watched him grab a balloon, get his face painted and get invited to sit and have lunch with a couple who let him sit in their lawn chair.
Another couple dressed in wedding attire wandered in and found a vacant blanket to enjoy their free lunches on and let me take their picture to celebrate the occasion. A nearby group who were full from lunch and second lunches but were so excited when I broke out a big container of cut up watermelon to share.
Jane summed the day up best with a tweet she posted: “My friends @ river: Tum Tum, Wristband, Fright, Grapedrank, Justin, Thumper… Come on Reno. Real folks who r homeless NOT bums. Let’s help!”
