Family Reunion


Years ago, I saw a movie called “Pay it Forward” that was terrible.  But, I love the concept because not enough people do good deeds (in my humble opinion).  You can’t really blame them because there is that saying about getting punished for good deeds; such as performing CPR on a choking man, only to have him sue you for ruining his Armani tuxedo jacket.

I like stories about families reuniting.  Maybe because I was adopted or maybe because my estranged biological sister will likely stay that way forever.  Everyone knows the story of the Kansas City homeless man (Billy Ray Harris) who returned a woman’s engagement ring after she accidentally dropped it in his cup, while making a donation.  You may have even heard that the owner of the diamond ring started a fundraising page for Harris, raising almost $183,000.  

But the real story is that Harris is back in touch with his family, from whom he was estranged for the last 16 years.  While the media storm around the engagement ring surged, and the story went viral, a woman named Robin Harris found her older brother.  "When I turned my head, I recognized the name, and I turned back around and I looked at the picture again, and it was my brother," Robin Harris told TODAY.com.  She saw him on TV after she had been told many years ago, that he was dead.  “I called and I said, 'that's my brother. I've been looking for him for 16 years.’”  Robin Harris, who lives in Texas, has since put her brother in touch with the rest of the family and a family reunion is already planned for this summer.
Thus begins a new chapter in the former homeless man's life.  Sure, he can buy a house in which to live, but now has the family that will make it a home.  It makes me wonder if when people describe someone as “homeless”, the family-less part is assumed.

Comments

  1. JaxxMarch 13, 2013 at 4:25 PM

    "Sure, he can buy a house in which to live, but now has the family that will make it a home. It makes me wonder if when people describe someone as “homeless”, the family-less part is assumed." - beautifully worded and gives a lot to ponder. Homeless people are usually in need of much more than just housing.

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