The Image is Burned Into My Retinas

He walked with a limp - READ

Dear World,

It’s an extremely haunting image, burned into my retinas from my time in Los Angeles.

I drive to Home Depot to pick up some paint for some renovations. Outside the store a group of 20 plus Hispanic men are waiting.

They are day workers, looking for casual work to pay for food, to feed their families.

Across the other side of the car park a large black SUV truck pulls up & somebody shouts something. Clearly the occupants of this truck are “offering work”…

… because the men of all shapes and ages race across the car park, desperately trying to get there first, needing so much that work. AND then I see him at the back of the racing crowd…

A more elderly man, perhaps 60, with a very bad limp. AND he’s hobbling so painfully, so determinedly, so bravely across the car park, falling further and further behind, and yet trying none-the-less to feed his family.

This is the face of undocumented immigrant in the USA that I will never forget. The good soul. The brave soul. The man who fights for his family.

Many, many times in my life I have limped badly in the fight to take care of my children. I understand this struggle. It is the struggle of men and women everywhere.

So when you accuse them, you also accuse me. When you point your finger at them, you most likely point a finger at your own undocumented ancestors.

We can disagree about many things BUT we should not disagree about the universal challenges that we all have faced and may all face sometime again in our future.

We should not lose our empathy. We should not forget our own humanity.

They are not a label, or a problem, or a faceless enemy, they are human beings just like you and me.

Your greatness isn’t defined by a piece of paper, a place of birth, a flag or an anthem. That alone doesn’t make anyone great.

• Instead it is defined by the amount of dignity you carry.

• It’s characterized by the largeness of your heart.

• It’s illustrated by the care you have for others.

• It’s exemplified by the humility in the way you walk.

• It’s found in the love you carry for people who are different than you.

I remember hearing an ancient story about a very wise man, some say he was the son of God. He said:

“For I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me drink, I was a stranger and you welcomed me, I was naked and you clothed me, I was sick and you visited me, I was in prison and you came to me?

You can tell a lot about the character of a person simply by looking at how they treat a stranger.

Much love!
Geoff