It was December 6, 2013. I left my home in the evening to buy a few holiday decorations. I spent several hours looking for the things that I needed. When checking out, I was surprised at the expense of such few items. 'Oh well, after all it's Christmas!' I told myself.
The next morning I awoke to a storm that had covered our landscape with a white blanket of powdery snow. Since I live in the southern most tip of Utah, next to the Arizona boarder, this was a shocker - especially to my 20 foot palm trees! Around 10 o'clock there was a knock at the front door and when I opened it, there stood my son, Jared. He had a distressful look on his face, as he pointed to a man sitting in the passengers seat of his car. He explained that the man was homeless and he'd found him by the side of the road; he was jogging to keep warm. The young man didn't have a coat, hat, or gloves and his clothing was drenched from the falling snow. Jared, who had once been homeless himself, knew what that was like at its worst and I could feel the pain riveting through his countenance.
"I need to help him, Mom!" He declared. "He doesn't have anyone who cares about him like I have, he'll freeze in this weather!"
I motioned for the man to come into my home. Through our conversation, I learned that he was living underneath the bridge, just outside of town. He appeared to be around the age of 25 and presented himself in a kind and courteous way. Then I heard a silent message that whispered ever so gently to my heart, "He's somebody's son"and I struggled to clear the lump in my throat. At that moment I reflected back to the many prayers I had offered when Jared was homeless; I had pleaded for his safety and that he would to fall into the hands of good and kind people who would provide for his needs.
I found the young man some warm clothing and wool socks to replace his wet ones. He was very gracious, but reluctant to accept the items. I assured him that it was given with love and concern for his well-being. Then what happened next sufficiently humbled me. I watched the miracles of God bring the blessings of my prayers full circle and within the walls of my own home. Jared took off his down ski parka and placed it upon the man's shoulders. Then he opened his wallet and gave a large amount of cash, which I assure you was 40 times more than most people give to those living on the streets. Then he said, "I want to take you to get a hot meal - - someplace where you can get warm."
My heart was overcome with emotions and it was difficult to hold back the tears. Once I had prayed for someone to deliver my son from the cold and now he was reaching out to deliver another! I watched as Jared, without hesitation, stretch out the loving hand of humanity to lift this man to his feet.
After they left my home, I sat down and looked around the room. All the lavish decorations adorning my home had little to no value compared to the experience that I had just witnessed. I looked at the fireplace burning with glowing embers and burst into tears. I thought about all my blessings and like millions of others just like me, I had never been homeless! I had never wandered the streets looking for my next meal! I had never battled the bitterness of the unforgiving elements! I had never feared for my life in the solitary darkness of a cruel world! For a brief moment, God had allowed me to see a glimpse of the sacrifice that others endure to teach me of the plan of salvation. The plan to soften hearts, the plan to teach charity, the plan to evoke compassion, forgiveness, and eternal love. For a spit second, I realized that these experiences are given to all of us - that we may be inspired to change the world in which we live!
May we celebrate the true meaning of the Lord's birth by giving the gift of hope, love and charity to those who need it the most. May we look for every opportunity to lighten another's load through the pure love of Christ. John 13: 34-35 "A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you have love one to another." Written by Linda Sumner Urza for: onefineday11.blogspot.com
(A special thanks to Jared for striving to make the world a better place in which to live.)
"Have You Seen My Son?"
We are a remarkable and resilient people. When the storms in life come to blow away our dreams, we build new ones. We are inherently good and kind, always looking for an opportunity to lend a hand in the service of our fellow man. We love our children and as we tuck them safely in their beds at night, we pray that no harm will come to them.
We plant our gardens, water our flowers and wave affectionally to our friends and neighbors. We defend our country and the people who live in this great land; even at the sacrifice of our own lives. We are a people of abundance, living in a world that overflows with resources. For those fortunate enough to be living the American dream, the world keeps spinning around and around, but this is not the perspective of everyone. There are many homeless wanderers who suffer beyond compare as childhood dreams are trapped within the nightmares of reality.
They are those who walk the city streets with no destination in mind, for there is no place for them to go. There is nothing to shield them from the elements and constant hunger is their greatest enemy. They may go several days without food and the pain in their abdomen feels like shards of glass against the lining of their stomach.
Each day becomes a burden while the judgements of mankind fall upon their heads and adding to their overwhelmingly heavy load. No one would choose this lot in life! While their days are filled with confusion and their nights with fear, they live in a world that is spinning wildly out of control. This was the black abyss that consumed my son, Jared, when he was 24 years old.
When he was 18, he was extremely bright, articulate, and full of promise. A few weeks after high school graduation, he was hired by an architectural firm and later moved to Arizona where he held a promising position with Charles Schwab. We were amazed with his abilities and there seemed to be no limit to his talents. Jared was living the American dream, until his life unraveled, one broken thread at a time. Within a matter of months his world had completely dissolved! Jared’s gifted mind was slowly being consumed and devoured by a severe form of mental illness called schizophrenia.
The madness began in the fall of 1999 when he noticed a high pitched ringing sound in his ears; this made it very difficult for him to sleep at night and impossible to concentrate during the day. Then he began to hear voices chattering in his head and he began to perceive things that were not tangible. At first these experiences were random and then they came more frequently, until it was impossible for him to formulate complete thoughts. The illness increased his anxiety with such intensity that he tried desperately to hide the symptoms from our family. He began to withdraw from any form of personal interaction with friends and family.
As Jared isolated himself from the world around him and he became extremely paranoid, with an obsessive, compulsive behavior. It was not long until his condition worsened and it became impossible for him to preform at work. One day, he walked away from his life, into the city streets and refused to look back!
He disappeared from our family’s radar and as the months passed by, there were times when we didn’t know if he was dead or alive. People who live on the streets seem to have an uncanny ability to disappear into thin air and Jared was no exception. I would stay awake nights and cry myself to sleep, wondering where my son could be and what living hell he must have to endure.
Do you have any idea how many prayers a mother can cry out over a period of eleven years? I can tell you exactly how many! I prayed that he would fall into the hands of good people who would see beyond his outer appearance and into his the center of his heart. I prayed that these people would have mercy upon him. I prayed for him to come in contact with those who could feel the burdens resting upon his shoulders and reach out to ease his pain. I prayed that if he were hungry, a kind stranger would offer him food and clean water to drink. I prayed when it was cold that those of abundance would share their warm clothing with him and that he would have a soft place to rest his head. But, the most important prayer that left my lips was that Jared would come home safely to our family, we all loved him and he deserved to be loved!
When we found Jared in November of 2008, he was hardly recognizable and with little resemblance of the beautiful man that is our brother and son. His life on the streets had afflicted his health and taken a toll on his life. He appeared to be a man between the ages of 55 to 60 years old! His handsome 6'3" frame weighed slightly over 120 pounds and by this time his level of communication was nearly incoherent. Jared had been beaten and robbed several times. He was living day to day on food from the food bank and wandering from place to place. The light in his eyes had gone completely dim and he resembled that of a frightened little child!
I appealed to the judge for a court order to sentence Jared to the hospital for evaluation, but getting the courts to take action against someone’s will is very difficult. Jared would not voluntarily admit himself into a clinic. Finally, the judge signed the order and he was placed in the hospital for mental evaluation and treatment. Today, he has regained his mental health and through proper medication he is living a healthy and constructive life.
Statistics state that over 54 million people suffer from mental health issues in the United States alone and over 2.5 million of those cases are diagnosed with schizophrenia. Most commonly, this disease affects young productive individuals in their early twenties and without signs of warning it becomes the silent destroyer.
Many people who suffer from this debilitating illness are living on the streets. Due to the nature of this disease, they fail to recognize that they are seriously disabled. There are thousands of parents who spend their lives searching the streets and asking the frightening question, “Have you seen my child?”
The next time you see someone less fortunate than you along the roadside, will you remember Jared’s story? There are those who walk among us and each day is an uphill battle... they may be pushing all their earthly belongings in a shopping cart or reaching out for a little spare change. Perhaps they are holding a sign requesting something specific. Please remember, giving them a little bit of something is far better for them than having a lot of nothing! Will you be so kind as to rise above the judgements of the world and stretch out your hand to comfort this soul, for they are someone’s child! by, Linda Sumner Urza, One Fine DayI once cried because I had no shoes until I met a man who had no feet. -Anonymous
