I went into San Francisco yesterday for lunch with a friend. There was a homeless man sitting in a doorway in the sun, smiling and looking at peace with the world. When our eyes met, I smiled at him and said, “Nice to see the sun after all the rain.” He responded, “The sun is God’s blanket for poor people. We do drugs all night, but when the sun comes out, we can sleep.” I expected an almost inevitable request for change, but it didn’t come.
Walking on ahead to meet my friend at the restaurant, I thought about what the man said for a moment. He does drugs all night and waits for the sun so he can sleep during the day. What a strange and sad way to live. I am glad he had a day in the sun.
Tomorrow’s forecast is for more rain; the homeless will have to do without God’s blanket.
