IN YOUR OWN WORDS THE GIFT OF GIVING, AND THE GRACE OF GRATITUDE BY BRIAN AUGUSTINE, VOICE VENDOR he couldn’t see people coming. One day, he was staring at his phone, when a man came up to him to buy a paper. The man asked John what he was doing. John said that he was just checking the time and explained his eye condition. The man then gave John a twenty-dollar bill for the paper. A few days later, the man came by and handed John a gift. It was a watch and, when you pressed the button on it, there was a voice that said the time. It’s the thought that counts., and this one counted a lot. The man’s gift was noticing a problem and finding a solution for it. My story is similar. I used to wear an Air Force Academy coat. One morning, the zipper broke, so I was exposed to freezing temperatures. A man walking past saw me and said, “You should zip your coat up.” “I can’t. It’s broken,” was all I could say. A little while later, I was getting ready to go and warm up, when the same man walked up, handed me a large bag, and said, “Happy holidays.” When he was gone, I went into a Starbucks and looked at what he gave me. In the bag was a heavy coat. As I pulled it out, my surprise was even bigger. He had given me a parka with the Denver Broncos logo. Anyone who knows me knows I’m a big Broncos fan. I had never seen the man before this encounter, and I haven’t seen him since, but he saw that I was in need and gave me the gift of filling that need. Being homeless again, one thing I’ve noticed is the lack of appreciation from the homeless who are out there now. There is no, “Excuse me, Sir, do you have a cigarette I could have?” or, “Excuse me, Miss, do you have a dollar you could spare?” I hear very few say “thank you,” to those who give them cigarettes or spare dollars. So, let me take a minute to say this to you, Beloved Ladies and Gentlemen. Thank you for your generosity. Thank you for your kindness. Thank you for your time and consideration, and most of all, thank you for listening to what I have to say. ■ BRIAN AUGUSTINE. CREDIT: GILES CLASEN I LOVE SAYING, “MERRY CHRISTMAS.” It’s the only holiday that says merry instead of happy. The holiday season is special to the homeless – even if those experiencing homelessness are too depressed and don’t like to admit it to themselves. They still reap the benefits of the giving season. We receive our winter needs of warm hats, scarves, and gloves. (By the way, if you wish to donate gloves, keep in mind that the “one-size-fits-all” variety is great for people with small hands and for children, but they don’t fit a lot of adults.) We even get some hand and toe warmers. We also receive gift cards for places where we can get hot drinks and warm food in our bellies. There is also a group of bikers that hands out one-hundred-dollar bills. I’ve seen some really special and thoughtful gifts during the season of giving over the years. I watched a man in a nice suit step up to a large angry homeless man wearing a tattered coat with a dirty rippedup blanket. Handing the homeless man a heavy coat and a thick comforter, the man in the suit smiled and said, “Merry Christmas,” and then he walked away quickly. The homeless guy just stared after him with a look of bewilderment. (I believe the other man’s real gift was bravery.) Then, there is my friend John. He was a vendor for the Denver VOICE and worked by the Clock Tower on the 16th Street Mall. But, he is legally blind and has foggy tunnel vision. Because of his eyes. he wasn’t very successful as a vendor, as ILLUSTRATION BY BEEZ December 2022 DENVER VOICE 9
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