Friday, April 5, 2013

A Love Story

People need love.  We should all agree with that, but how do you express love? 

There are expressions of love that I am so touched by.  People living in poverty welcoming strangers into their home, sharing a meal, or giving of themselves to aid someone.  That touches my heart.  I think, wow.  If I had less, would I be more generous?

A transient couple I met and counseled for months, was staying with relatives in a rough apartment complex.  Before they relocated again, in search of work, they came to my office to say their goodbyes.  After many hugs, the gentleman took out of his pocket a disposable pen.  It was his farewell gift for the help I had given them, and the friendship I'd offered. 

Through the years, I've thought about their generosity.  In the U.S., the gift of a cheap pen for services offered might be laughed at, but to the undocumented immigrant couple, it had precious value. 

It's possible that I was touched by the gift, because I'm an immigrant, too.  Although I did not come to the United States impoverished, I am able to empathize with their struggles.  Or, perhaps It's because I'm a writer and an artist, whose favorite tool is a pen. 

Do you have a love story to tell?


In some impoverished places, something as simple as a pen is a gift well received.