Dillan.

I was on my way to church last night, and I got off the highway where I saw a man begging under the overpass. There were a lot of storms predicted for last night, and I had an umbrella in my car (a somewhat rare occasion, I might add.) So anyway, I thought to myself as I drove by...self, you should roll down your window, and give him that umbrella...he needs it more than you. The only cash I had in my purse was a 10 euro bill, ironically enough...but the light changed quickly and I was on my way. I drove all the way to the church, and I kept thinking about this conversation I had with Allen in Itlay about this kind of situation. Well I just couldn't let it go, so I whipped my car around and headed back to the interstate. I parked my car at the bank on the corner and headed across the street with just my car key and that umbrella. When I walked up to the guy, he lifted up his head, and the first thing I noticed was 2 legit teardrop tattoos just below his left eye. At this moment about a million thoughts ran through my head, the most prominent being that he could grab my car key, take me out, and head off with my new car faster than I could run...but oddly enough, I didn't feel threatened by this fact. anyway, I started talking to the guy, who was actually really nice. Dillan and his friend (who was across the street begging under the other overpass) are both on the move. They've lost absolutely everything, including their two dogs who got taken in by the police. Every night they jump on the train platforms and head across country hoping not to get taken in by the cops. They have no money, no food, and only a single backpack of clothes, but they never asked me for anything more. They were so extremely grateful for a simple umbrella. You know, it's obvious that Dillan has made some bad decisions, but I really truly think that he is trying to live a good life. I can still hear him saying to me, "We're just trying to make it through this." It really broke my heart to see him last night. I wanted to do so much more than just give him a pathetic $1.50 umbrella from walmart, but that's all I had to give. When I left church last night, I was driving past the overpass with a car full of friends headed to Chili's, and Dillan was already gone. I've thought about him a lot today...about how Satan can take one mistake and just turn your life upside down. I actually talked to two other friends yesterday who had also recently been in jail, but those are two much longer stories. Needless to say...it was a weird day for me, but an enlightening one.
How many times do we see people like Dillan cross our lives, and how many times do we ever reach out?