The Man with A Mission

When I have a few moments to sit and reflect, read a book, or just relax, I often find myself driving to Liberty Park in Salt Lake City, Utah. This is the oldest park in the city and was purchased in the 1880s from Brigham Young’s estate. 

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I live a mile or so up the hill from this park and so getting to it simply involves backing out of my driveway and pointing my car to the west, stepping on the gas, and enjoying a brief ride down to the park.

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It’s not uncommon for me to do this 2 or 3 times per week. I find it peaceful to watch people running, walking their dogs, skateboarding, rollerblading, and couples holding hands smiling as they walk along. I enjoy seeing young mothers walking while pushing their child in a stroller. I am delighted by little children feeding the ducks and observing how the ducklings grow and become independent over a period of a few short weeks as they prepare themselves to fly away and start their own life. 

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For several weeks this summer, I noticed a man in a maroon van loaded with food parking on the east side of the park. He is a common visitor but until this morning I have never paid close attention to him. 

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Sitting in my parked car, engrossed in a book, I didn’t even notice the people who were walking past me on their daily ritual. When I finished reading, I looked up and saw that the man described above had pulled into the parking space next to me. He had already unloaded much of his van and was in the process of arranging the food in some type of organization that made sense to him. 

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I noticed that people were beginning to gather around him watching him as he worked. These people all looked like they were homeless. Their clothes were ragged, torn, and dirty. They looked as though they hadn’t bathed in some time. There were young people, older ones, men, women, blacks and whites, tall and thin, as well as short and stocky. 

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I went over and talked with the man and learned that his name is Mike. When he had everything ready to distribute, he would point to someone and invite them to come choose some food. When one man tried to butt in, Mike got upset with him and told him that only one person at a time was allowed to get their food. The man backed away and patiently waited for his turn.

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I watched as the people looked the food over and then started choosing what they wanted. A loaf of bread and can of pork and beans or other canned goods, cookies, cake, and many other foodstuffs. I wondered how many meals they had missed and how much they appreciated Mike’s generosity.

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I looked at all the food that Mike had brought and couldn’t help but wonder where he got it and how he paid for it. My first impression of this man was that he was also homeless or at least had nothing to spare. It appeared that he was giving his all for this cause. He was dressed in Levi’s held up with wide black suspenders and a white T-shirt. He was unkempt but seemed happy to be able to share with others who apparently were worse off than himself.

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He was tall and lean and had an unlit cigarette in his hand when I approached him. I commented on what a wonderful thing he was doing, and how impressed I was with his actions. I asked what he did for a living, and he told me that he was retired as a result of some health problems. When asked what he did before retirement he told me that he restored grand pianos for a local music company. When he told me the name of the company, I told him I knew the owner and Mike paid him several compliments.

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Mike told me that he came to Liberty Park everyday with food to share with the poor. I was curious to learn how he purchased all this food. I learned that he had made arrangements with the food bank, and they give him food twice each week. They like his efforts to help those who need help.

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As I think about this experience, I marvel at all the good people in our society who go out of their way to help others in need. I believe as parents this is a good example of something we should teach our children. We could organize a snow shoveling project for our neighbors in the winter. We could encourage them to visit their neighbors who are lonely and would really enjoy their company. We might even help them be kinder to their siblings. 

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We have the ability to teach our children to recognize those in need and help them with their struggles. We can follow Mike’s example and teach our children the importance of little things done over and over again. 

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Happy Failing Forward,

Calvert


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