The Little Drummer Boy in Palmetto Bay
December 15, 2009 by admin
Filed under Community Outreach
Do you know the tale of The Little Drummer Boy?
It’s the apocryphal story of a poor young boy who, unable to afford a gift for the infant Jesus, plays his drum for the newborn.
The kind, giving spirit of that child exists – I felt it radiate forth, from a homeless man who lives on the streets of Palmetto Bay.
I met him Monday night, perhaps by chance, perhaps by something greater.
Driving along US1 with my wife, we noticed a man pushing a near-empty shopping cart along the sidewalk. His clothes were tattered and dirty, but he walked with a sense of purpose – a spring in his step.
As we drove past, my wife wondered out loud, “Do you think that man is hungry?”
We looked at each other and knew what we had to do – turn the car around and go back.
We caught up with him, in the back of a strip mall. He was beginning to rummage through a dumpster.
I got out of the car and walked up to him and said, “Hi…how are you?“ He replied, “I’m doin’ great! It’s a beautiful night. My name is Edwin.”
Edwin’s enthusiasm took me by surprise. Living on the street had soiled his appearance but certainly not his attitude.
I pointed to the McDonald’s near the end of the parking lot, and said, “Are you hungry, Edwin? Would you like something to eat?”
“Oh, I’m jus’ fine, thank you,” he said, “…well…maybe just a small sandwich or just a little drink, but don’t be troublin’ yourself.”
I pressed him. “Really, man, my wife and I were just about to get a burger, and we would like to get you a meal – how about a burger combo, with fries or something?”
Edwin laughed and said, “You best not be eatin’ much o’ that food. It’s no good for you…you should eat better food.”
Once again, his comments took me back. How humbling to be counseled by a homeless man who seems to have so little…
“What do you like to eat, Edwin?”
“I likes chicken – it gots lots o’ protein ‘n’ energy.”
“You know what, Edwin? There’s a chicken place nearby. My wife and I are going to go get you some chicken. We can be back in about 10 minutes, if you will still be here.”
“You ‘n’ your wife don’t need to do nothin’ like that,” he said. “But if you come back…I’ll be here…I likes to stick around here at night. I find good stuff ’round here.”
We came back about 15 minutes later, and there was Edwin, sitting on a low wall near the back of the parking lot. He was talking with a shop owner. He saw me and said, “We’z talkin’ ’bout the Dolphins – they were great last Sunday!”
I laughed, agreed, and handed Edwin his hot dinner – a half chicken, mashed potatoes, vegetables, and a drink. “Here you go, Edwin – Enjoy!”
With that, he jumped down from the wall, walked over, and took something out of his cart. It was a small, empty, plastic water bottle. Then, he took some flowers from the cart, put them in the bottle, and handed it to me.
“Here, give this to your wife,” he said. “While you were gone, I picked these wildflowers. If you gives them water, they gonna live a long time.”
Ever the counselor, he looked me in the eyes and said, “You should always give a pretty lady flowers.” Then, he winked and said, “I likes to share pretty things with others.”
Edwin put the food in his cart, stood tall, and began to push his cart away. He called back to me, “You go ‘n’ get water in that bottle right away!”
A beautiful gift from a tattered homeless man in Palmetto Bay.
I started to feel a big lump in my throat and my eyes got a bit misty. I smiled, and said, “We will — now you take care, Edwin.”
As I turned and walked back to the car, Edwin shouted out, “Watch those Dolphins…they gonna be doin’ ok!”
“What did he give you?” my wife asked, as I got back in the car.
“A football tip,” I laughed. “Oh, and this…” I handed her the bottle and flowers. “These are for you…from Edwin.”
We both began to cry as we drove home. Home to a warm house, with running water, electricity, and a pantry filled with food.
Edwin’s flowers are still alive. Something tells me they’ll last a long time…
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Your message leads me to share the note I received this morning from Dan Cook who was Editor of a major West coast financial publication for whom I wrote a column on corporate ethics and business fraud for about 5 years and have collaborated with him for about 15 years. “Gus, the fact is that you have never given up, you’ve never given in and you have yet to give out. You understand your mission and I understand where you’re coming from. In the current environment, it is vital to share your knowledge about how greed corrupts and how those possessed by greed can only be stopped by regulators, whistleblowers and educated investors.”\
Jim,
What a wonderful story! If we take the time to shed all the business and focus on things and people we would not ordinarily take the time to focus on, gems like this event in your life occur.