this is a cool short story about helping

I was driving home from work yesterday and saw something that brought tears to my eyes. Now, mind you, I was already a little emotional. My Assistants and I host a pro m for kids in special ed and I was coming home from a long day where several hundred teens and staff and parents got to have a fun time dancing. good stuff. Very emotional to see so many people having a good time. but hectic. So I'm driving home from all that and I pull up to the light at what is one of the poorer corners in town. There are always people with signs there asking for help. One time we pulled up and there was a teen holding a sign "Will pose for food". We have seen worse. It is a corner that is a barometer that shows how much the people in a city are hurting.

And people in the city must be hurting. I've seen more and more people there and it is never empty of someone asking for help. I try to not be moved but every once in a while I'll give away my parking change. Usually I have to have a steel heart. We just can't afford to give away too much money right now.

So, yesterday, I stop at the light --look over and on the corner there are two guys who have set up a barbecue and are handing out free hot dogs to some pretty scruffy peeps. On the front of the table with all the mustard and ketchup is a sign "A hot dog for your thoughts". And it really hit me that these two guys had driven this same corner and decided they had to do something. They weren't giving free food, they were trading it for a thought so nobody was begging. Nobody was taking charity. But they were getting something to eat for dinner.

This big tall bald guy with a bike leaning on his leg grabbed a hot dog and he was just grinning and shaking the hot dog guy's hands. He was so full of joy to get a free hot dog. He pushed his bike a few feet down the sidewalk and, seriously, ate that hot dog in three bites. The guy must have been so hungry.

And I started to cry. I drive this street all the time and I look away from most of the people because I can't help them and these two guys couldn't just drive by anymore. The light changed and I made it a couple of blocks then flipped a U-turn and drove back to the corner. I walked up and said, "Y'all just decided to feed some hungry people?" and the hot dog guys looked up at me and I was taken back for a moment. They both had the most beautiful smiling eyes and one one nodded and grinned and the other said "yes". And, you know, for a moment I felt like I was looking at a pair of (very handsome) angels. And I told them thanks, gave them the money I had in my pocket and asked them to feed some more then I beat a hasty retreat.

I had to pass again as I turned around to drive home and there were three guys getting hot dogs and the hot dog guys were talking to them and just beaming with big smiles.

It reminds me that good always wins...but you gotta take that stand of when you aren't going to look the other way anymore.

Cheers to you hot dog guys! If anyone got raptured today, it was them.

Tears in my eyes too.

very cool Bill!!