Personal Narrative: The Row Of Homelessness

They say you don’t realize the importance of what you have till either you lose it or you witness others around you going through it. Walking through this lesson was unquestionably tough for me, especially during my early childhood. I was a typical child: throwing fits in stores if I wasn’t getting what I wanted, always wanting the latest and greatest, not understanding that I was lucky to have more than just the basic needs to survive.
The moment I looked out the window of the car and my eyes turned to the row of homeless people weaving its way through the traffic begging for money, I jumped out of my seat. I was 13 years old and it was my first visit to my country, India, after leaving for the United States. I was two years old when my father and mother decided to make the move from India. The homeless people's’ hands were making odd gestures and thumping the windows
Though I did not work directly with those who are homeless, I learned many small lessons, but the big picture was: helping those around you. One such event was December of 2015. I was in the car helping my mom’s friend’s son with his math homework when he , all of a sudden, asked for money. Not knowing what he was going to do, I gave him $5. What happened after left me speechless. He put the window down and he gave the money to a homeless woman who was standing on the median with a board that said, “ No job. Have two children.” He then said, “ I’m praying for you!” to the woman. He did exactly what I had failed to learn at his age and that was to help those in need. In fact, he learned that lesson at a very young age. He understood the importance of being there for the needy. To this day, my encounter with that old woman drives me to help others to the utmost I can. It is her memory that inspires me to not only think about myself but others too. Wherever she is, I hope she is being taken care