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| Photo by Barry Polansky |
He entered my office asking for food. Shabbily dressed with
only a few teeth, his smile was captivating, his eyes sparkled and as we began
to converse, I was startled.
I was a crisis counselor and he was a client, but he wasn't
like the typical client asking for help. His vocabulary was laced with
intelligence and his knowledge amazing. I was stunned by the brilliance of the
toothless man who at one point referred to himself as "a scientist,"
but instead looked as if he'd crawled out from beneath a bridge and had eaten
his last meal from a dumpster.
I remarked about his vocabulary and with delight he
chuckled, "I'm an avid reader."
With interest piqued I said, "What do you read?"
Obviously glad to have someone interested he replied,
"The philosophers" and named a few. Then "the
psychologists" and named a few of those. I was stunned!
The man I was hearing should've been dressed in an expensive
three-piece suit, sipping a strong brew at Starbucks or dining at the
Ritz-Carlton, rather than a shabby looking hobo. That "Diamond in the
Rough" was truly a remarkable man---and although I can't remember his
name, I will never forget him. His face will ever be etched in my memory. (The
photo above is only a semblance of who he was).
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| Maya Angelou |
Another unforgettable person died May 28, 2014---Maya
Angelou---and because she was such an impressive person, her words live on.
Through her writings we can learn how to impact this world, make it a better
place and as she passionately did, reveal the love of the invisible
God.
Here are just a few of the rich nuggets written
by this unforgettable lady:
"Try to be a
rainbow in someone's cloud."
"We may
encounter many defeats but we must not be defeated."
"Nothing can dim the light which shines
from within."
"Love
recognizes no barriers. It jumps hurdles, leaps fences, penetrates walls to
arrive at its destination filled with hope."
"I can be
changed by what happens to me, but I refuse to be reduced by it."
"When I
found...that I was a child of God, when I understood that, when I comprehended
that...when I internalized that...I became courageous."
"My mission
in life is not merely to survive, but to thrive." ---Maya Angelou
Thanks to the Toothless Man, who was a startling surprise,
and to the elegant Maya Angelou, both were examples of remarkable people with
depth and a zest for life. Each was so impressive, that whoever met them or
heard their words could never forget, because they were influencers.
--Bobbe Brooks
