So this Christmas it is an honor for me to get to be a part of the 2015 Christmas Comfort Project. A vision set in motion by my friend Kayla Shai McGuire, with the intentions of freely giving what was so freely given to her. The light and love of a perfect Father. The 2015 Christmas Comfort Project came about from an encounter Kayla had with a lady living in a state of homelessness right here on the streets of Atlanta. A beautiful story that I highly suggest you go check out at www.kaylashai.com/project1, as I would do nothing more then chop it up if I tried to explain it. Through this story Kayla encouraged me in my dealings with those in a state of homelessness. Let’s be honest, until I moved to Atlanta and started personally working with and helping those on the streets. They were just homeless people. I rarely took a second glance or would try to avoid them because the questions of what do you have that I can have are surely coming. Usually with the mindset that they’re just going to take my money that I worked for to go buy booze or drugs and not that bus ticket they said they were going to buy with it or the food they’re so hungry for. For the most part my thought process was, No way go look for a hand out from somewhere else. You see,being from up in the mountains way out in the country, homeless folks are rare. Never really ran into any “poster” homeless people. So I always had a very surface level interpretation of what a homeless person was. Basically I guess I just thought these people appeared out of no where with no previous life or back story as to why they lived out of a grocery cart on the street corner. I never really gave it much thought as to how or why they were where they were. We’ve all seen the experimental videos, those in a state of homelessness are very much so over looked and ignored. Why? Because they’re nasty and dirty and aren’t worthy of being categorized on the same level as us? Who am I to judge the worthiness of another human being? What have I done so great to place myself above anybody?? The answer is nothing! I’m not so special, I’ve never done anything so great. So why would I ever consider myself above anyone! It must just be the social norm to look down on those less fortunate. And we do it and don’t even realize it! Every single one of them have a story and a background and a reason why they are where they are. I met a guy one night at Safehouse just graduated college, doing insurance, moved to Atlanta from Philly for his first ever REAL job. Sold everything he had to get down here. Turns out the company that hired him was a scam and shut down 2 weeks after he started working. Literally leaving him with nothing! Then there are the types that just do it to flee from responsibility. The free spirit wanderers. I knew one guy had about a 2 thousand dollar bike brand new iPad tons of nice clothes and money. He just couldn’t handle the pressures of everyday life so he decided to live on the streets. Then there are those that break your heart. Like my friend Joe I met. Guy couldn’t hardly walk, real rough shape smelled just like a urinal and all he wanted was a ride to the liquor store. The entire ride he told me about Jesus and how he constantly is with him looking out for him and taking care of him. My heart broke for this guy. He had nothing! When he really had everything and he knew it. Yeah he’s an alcoholic I gave him $20 and told him he better get some food with it too. He thanked me shook my hand and I’ve never seen him since but it’s funny because I think about Joe all the time. I think the encounter that sticks out to me the most and really just opened my heart to care for my friends on the streets, to love these “social outcast”. One day I was riding home from the store, broke in between pay checks and really sore from working out. I looked in my wallet to see if I had the money to get some ice to have an ice bath for my legs(cause they were really sore). Looked in there, 3 bucks! I was so incredibly pissed off I couldn’t believe it! How can I never have any money! I can’t even have an ice bath LOL! I mean it was just so incredibly wrong for me to be so mad about money. So stupid. And I pull up at a red light and there’s this dude flyin a sign with his dog. Something struck me maybe because he looked like Kurt Cobain or maybe because I felt horrible about myself for raging out so hard back there, I dunno but I rolled my window down and handed him the money. I don’t know why or what it was but that $3 just flipped his whole demeanor and I look back and the next two cars behind me handed him money! I watched his dog get all stoked up and saw some joy on his face and that was it. I drove off and I’ve literally never sobbed crying like that before. It absolutely broke my heart. The way I was acting then seeing him with so much less and how excited he got! Then to watch the ripple effect was just simply amazing to me. I called my roommate dude I’m so sorry for ever being a horrible person crying agh I suck I love you I love everybody I don’t ever wanna be a horrible person ????(those were tears then laughter)but seriously that day changed me. No I can’t give as much as I would like but I do what I can ya know as much as it helps them it really does something for your soul. I dunno it’s not always about the amount. Maybe to them it’s just the fact that someone even recognized their existence today! Who knows? You never have any idea how it will affect them. So I ask you would you take a step and lean in to this project with us? The deal is Kayla, wrote a book. yeah she’s an author and younger then me and I’m sort of a little bit jealous of her and where her heart is too ?? She is wrapping a book, a composition journal and a pen for $10. The plan is to give away 300 of these gifts as Christmas presents to our friends currently living in a state of homelessness. So for $10 you can give someone who may or may not receive even a smile for Christmas, a pretty cool gift! Who knows what a little reading and writing could do for a persons life I mean really! It goes a lot deeper then just a book and a journal. The plan is for 300 gifts but I believe we can rally around and do even better! Please look into this! If you never give another dollar consider these 10. It’s just so much more then $10. I encourage you, on September 1st to go to www.kaylashai.com/project1. And reserve your gifts! It’s simple she accepts PayPal gotta click a mouse a couple of times and possibly enter a credit card number. Is 2 clicks and 3 minutes of time really too much of a hassle??? Pray about it think about it check it out and make somethin happen!! Love you guys!
