Here we are on our last day in NYC. Man the week just flew by! We didn't have any serving assignments today, so it was more of a rest and relaxation day. We checked out of our hotel, walked to Whole Foods for breakfast, caught a choir from Mississippi singing in Union Square. We then hit the NBC Studios for a tour. We got to visit the Dr. Oz, Late Night w/Jimmy Fallon, and SNL sets. Jimmy Fallon's studio is Johnny Carson's old studio. It was neat to hear about the behind the scenes stuff and facts of the studios...the double doors that the host of SNL walks through at the very beginning of each show are the original doors from when the show first started! And Jimmy Fallon's studio is a full-blown refrigerator! Lots of fun facts.
We then had some lunch. During that, a few of my team members went to find a homeless man that they ran into earlier....he was 82, just came out of hospital from some bullet wounds, was trying to find a way to Arizona where his family is, so my team member gave him a TCF gift card that she had on hand which had a couple hundred dollars on it to help him get back. He was very appreciative. Also, during lunch, some other team members spoke about a man they had seen in the subway the night before. Some of us had heard about people that literally live down in the subways in NY and a couple of my team members was certain this man was one of those people...the words used to describe him was a "human rat". I know that sounds harsh, but that was the only way they felt was an accurate description....it's real, they seen him and could smell him from afar...filthy dirty, a garbage bag wrapped around himself, no shoes, climbing out of some dark hole in the subway on the other side of the tracks...those were just a few ways they described him. The harsh reality was heart-wrenching.
I've shared just some of the stories from our week in NYC. I've learned that homeless people don't necessarily always "look" homeless. There are a lot of needy people in this world and I've learned you can't judge a book by its cover. Everyone has a story. Don't assume anything. Sometimes all a person needs is a smile from you. Just that simple acknowledgment goes a long way and can make a persons day, or week. There are so many organizations that help people that need our help that are tucked away...you just have to take the time to search for them. Sometimes you just have to put aside your judgments and open yourself up a little...don't be afraid. We all know how grateful we are for what we have, but seeing all we did this past week only makes me THAT much more grateful for what I have. It makes me think twice before I start complaining about the little things. I have a roof over my head, food in my fridge and a stove to cook it on, a car to drive to the doctors or work or to visit family, clean clothes to wear, clean water to drink and cook with, a bed to sleep in, a couch to sit on, a blanket to keep me warm, air condition to cool me off, shoes on my feet, electricity to give me light at night, a phone to call a friend to talk to when I'm down and need cheering up, a computer to communicate to family/friends or check the score of my favorite sports team, walls to hang pictures of my loved ones on, insurance to pay for my doctor visits and medicine, and SO MUCH MORE...all at the tip of my fingers! We all have often taken many of those things for granted, don't deny it. We just expect those things to be there because it's what we're used to. Whatever your concept of God is, thank Him everyday for each of those things, because not everybody in this world is as fortunate and rich as we are. When I say rich, I'm not talking about how much our salary is, but about all of the "things" we have been given..not just material things, but love and relationships and laughter and emotions and more. When I left the airport to head home, it was a bit muggy outside. I stopped myself from saying "oh its hot out" because I was just about to jump into a car with air condition. When I came home from being gone for a week, there wasn't much of any food in my fridge, but I have the ability to drive myself up to the store to pick up fresh food 24/7. I realized most of my clothes were dirty and I had nothing to wear....but I did, it's just I didn't want to wear "that". I'm going to make an effort at not being so picky anymore like that. It's those little things that we all take for granted. I am SO rich with life and what God has blessed me with that I feel guilty now when I do catch myself complaining about something so minute like why isn't the cable working. It's not the end of the world if I miss I miss a TV show! I should be (and am) grateful to even have a TV and cable! Literally, I AM RICH!!
I feel so fortunate to have been able to taken this trip...it was a huge growing moment for me personally and spiritually. And I just can't thank God enough for all that He has blessed me with.
We then had some lunch. During that, a few of my team members went to find a homeless man that they ran into earlier....he was 82, just came out of hospital from some bullet wounds, was trying to find a way to Arizona where his family is, so my team member gave him a TCF gift card that she had on hand which had a couple hundred dollars on it to help him get back. He was very appreciative. Also, during lunch, some other team members spoke about a man they had seen in the subway the night before. Some of us had heard about people that literally live down in the subways in NY and a couple of my team members was certain this man was one of those people...the words used to describe him was a "human rat". I know that sounds harsh, but that was the only way they felt was an accurate description....it's real, they seen him and could smell him from afar...filthy dirty, a garbage bag wrapped around himself, no shoes, climbing out of some dark hole in the subway on the other side of the tracks...those were just a few ways they described him. The harsh reality was heart-wrenching.
I've shared just some of the stories from our week in NYC. I've learned that homeless people don't necessarily always "look" homeless. There are a lot of needy people in this world and I've learned you can't judge a book by its cover. Everyone has a story. Don't assume anything. Sometimes all a person needs is a smile from you. Just that simple acknowledgment goes a long way and can make a persons day, or week. There are so many organizations that help people that need our help that are tucked away...you just have to take the time to search for them. Sometimes you just have to put aside your judgments and open yourself up a little...don't be afraid. We all know how grateful we are for what we have, but seeing all we did this past week only makes me THAT much more grateful for what I have. It makes me think twice before I start complaining about the little things. I have a roof over my head, food in my fridge and a stove to cook it on, a car to drive to the doctors or work or to visit family, clean clothes to wear, clean water to drink and cook with, a bed to sleep in, a couch to sit on, a blanket to keep me warm, air condition to cool me off, shoes on my feet, electricity to give me light at night, a phone to call a friend to talk to when I'm down and need cheering up, a computer to communicate to family/friends or check the score of my favorite sports team, walls to hang pictures of my loved ones on, insurance to pay for my doctor visits and medicine, and SO MUCH MORE...all at the tip of my fingers! We all have often taken many of those things for granted, don't deny it. We just expect those things to be there because it's what we're used to. Whatever your concept of God is, thank Him everyday for each of those things, because not everybody in this world is as fortunate and rich as we are. When I say rich, I'm not talking about how much our salary is, but about all of the "things" we have been given..not just material things, but love and relationships and laughter and emotions and more. When I left the airport to head home, it was a bit muggy outside. I stopped myself from saying "oh its hot out" because I was just about to jump into a car with air condition. When I came home from being gone for a week, there wasn't much of any food in my fridge, but I have the ability to drive myself up to the store to pick up fresh food 24/7. I realized most of my clothes were dirty and I had nothing to wear....but I did, it's just I didn't want to wear "that". I'm going to make an effort at not being so picky anymore like that. It's those little things that we all take for granted. I am SO rich with life and what God has blessed me with that I feel guilty now when I do catch myself complaining about something so minute like why isn't the cable working. It's not the end of the world if I miss I miss a TV show! I should be (and am) grateful to even have a TV and cable! Literally, I AM RICH!!
I feel so fortunate to have been able to taken this trip...it was a huge growing moment for me personally and spiritually. And I just can't thank God enough for all that He has blessed me with.
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