Breakfast at D's

Of course, I love reading your blog because your my big brother and I have, since I can remember, tried to emulate the kind of human being you are in the world. Since becoming a cross country commuter for work, and having never lived or spent any time in a big city, New York is not exactly big city with training wheels. I stay on the upper west side of the city, affluent area by any standard, and each morning a black town car comes to pick me up and take me to inner city areas where I do my work. Before I go literally across the bridge for my day's adventure in failing public inner city high schools, I stop at good ole Starbucks for my morning soy latte and drip coffee for my friend William who drives me all over the place. I started this journey last January when you can only imagine how cold the city becomes. I met a woman, homeless and haggard, on one of my first visits at the local starbucks. She is about 50 I would guess, dressed in black rags, literally, that she binds around her body, carrying a large black suitecase with all her belongings in the world. The hussle and bussle of NYC can be overwhelming. Somehow this woman was finding her way amongst some of life's greatest challenges. The first morning I saw her I offered to buy her coffee. She looked at me, all dressed up and well fed, and said, thanks, but no thanks, can I buy you a coffee? and that started a journey with this woman that has lasted the whole year long. I found out her name was Rae, she suffers from mental illness and lives both in Central Park and on any local park bench she can find where the NYPD will leave her alone. I have watched her from afar, as trying to talk to her posed a bit dangerous as I found out the hard way one sunny afternoon sharing a park bench with her in Central Park. A few weeks ago, I happened to stay over a weekend in the city and one of my closest friends came to stay with me for a girls weekend. As we were walking around I was telling her about my "from a distance" relationship with Rae. The barristas at Starbucks worked with me to make sure she was fed each day, without her knowing it was me that was helping her. I was sharing my concern with my friend about what will happen when I no longer work in the city, as if I was the only person in the world who had helped her along the way, amazing how short sided and self absorbed. As we came around the corner near the starbucks, I saw Rae, sitting with an older gentleman, sharing a huge meal, with the sun on their faces, not really talking but sitting so close together they had to be related or know each other very well. As I looked at the both of them, there was a similarity in their faces that showed the world they were related, brother and sister. The next day, as I walked the common path by the starbucks again, this man was sitting with Rae, feeding her, spending time with her, no words spoken, just there. I can only imagine the path that both have taken, the pain, they have both suffered, and how they have come to this place, sitting together on a weekend, sharing a meal.
The beauty of human beings caring for one another is awe inspiring, the best of what is here on Earth. Thanks for your story big brother, and congratulations on Sammy:)

Posted by Bettina, 03/01/2012 1:05pm (2 months ago)