One Thing One Day One Time – Day 7 – The homeless have always held a special place in my heart. T25P had mentored me for several years on how to work with the homeless in such a way that we give them a hand up instead of a handout. After leaving northern VA to relocate to central VA, I carried with me a heightened sense of awareness in recognizing someone who might be homeless. Shortly after moving to my current location, I was driving to a grocery store one early afternoon and noticed an old man walking along the street. He looked frail and exhausted and, as I passed him, he slowed down, took off his backpack to form a makeshift seat, and half-collapsed on it. I immediately pulled into a nearby parking spot and hurried to him. He seemed startled when I approached, so I quickly reassured him that I had noticed his fatigue and wanted to see if I could do anything to help. He said he was just tired from walking a long distance and would be alright after a little rest. I asked if I could sit with him for a while, so he patted the curb and I sat down. At first he didn’t speak, then, in a cracked and tired voice he admitted that he had been walking from Culpeper and was on his way to Charlottesville, a distance spanning three counties and approximately 45 miles. He then said he had lost his job a decade ago and had been forced to vacate his rented trailer when he could no longer pay his rent. He found sporadic day labor at a warehouse but it didn’t give him enough to rent a room or to pay his way. After living a transient life for years, a volunteer organization had suggested he find his way to Charlottesville to get into a shelter. This is what he was doing when I encountered him. Being late March, it was going to get dark soon, and the temperature would start to drop. I knew there was no way for him to continue by foot. I offered to drive him to Charlottesville. He seemed stunned to think I would do so. I suggested we go into the store so we could get him some bottled water and a few supplies. While he stopped at the rest room, I asked one of the employees to help me locate the store manager. When she came to where I was standing, I quickly explained the situation to her and asked how I could find the address and number to a shelter in Charlottesville. This lady was terrific – she not only used her Smartphone to look up information but, when I began to call around, she personally went and fetched bottled water, toiletries, snacks, a blanket and a travel pillow for the man, and refused to let me pay. After some frustrating attempts to get through to a few of the shelters, we finally found one that took our call. After obtaining driving directions, we left. Stopping at a fast-food franchise for a quick meal, we got to our location. I waited while he went inside and, after a short while, he came out and thanked me for all the help. He was given a place to sleep, and the manager of the shelter said he would help him get assistance in the days to come. I left him after giving him my phone number in case things didn’t work out. I never did hear back from him, but still think of him frequently and hope he is in a better place than where I first found him.