Clay County Free Press
  • News
    • Local
    • Sports
    • Notices
    • Courthouse News
      • Booked
      • Magistrate News
  • Obituaries
  • Opinions
    • Can You Identify
    • Cook’s Corner
    • Echo From the Hills
    • Salt & Sonshine
    • The Baptist Classroom
  • Spiritual
    • Diocese of Wheeling-Charleston
    • Transcendental Meditation
    • Parabola
    • Southern Baptist
  • epress
  • State News
  • National News
  • Mountain Media, LLC
  • Contact Us
  • My Account
  • Login
Subscribe For $2.50/Month
No Result
View All Result
  • News
    • Local
    • Sports
    • Notices
    • Courthouse News
      • Booked
      • Magistrate News
  • Obituaries
  • Opinions
    • Can You Identify
    • Cook’s Corner
    • Echo From the Hills
    • Salt & Sonshine
    • The Baptist Classroom
  • Spiritual
    • Diocese of Wheeling-Charleston
    • Transcendental Meditation
    • Parabola
    • Southern Baptist
  • epress
  • State News
  • National News
  • Mountain Media, LLC
  • Contact Us
  • My Account
  • Login
No Result
View All Result
Clay County Free Press
No Result
View All Result
  • National News
  • WV State News
  • VA State News
  • Subscribe
  • Contact Us

Equal

September 16, 2020
in Mazzella
Reading Time: 2 mins read
Share on FacebookShare on Twitter

By: Joseph J. Mazzella

I was 16 years old and on a week-long trip to visit a Seminary college in Iowa.  On the way our group had stopped in Chicago for a few days.  We were staying in a building owned by the church on the south side of the city and had been warned not to go out alone.  It wasn’t long, though, before I was feeling cooped up and decided to sneak out for a short walk.  I was going down a street when I saw other people making a wide berth around someone sitting on the sidewalk.  His clothes were worn, torn, and threadbare.  His skin was dirty and I could smell him from several feet away.  I stopped in my tracks.  I had never seen a homeless person before.

Then my mind flashed back and I realized I had seen a homeless person once before: me.

It was a summer night in my 11th year when the home I grew up in caught fire in the middle of the night.  I can still remember all of us standing outside while the fire destroyed everything we owned.  My Dad was cursing.  My Nana and Mom were crying.  And my brothers and I were standing in shocked, scared, silence.  Thankfully, friends took us in that night.  Our small town community rallied around us.  They showered us with love and care.  They fed us, brought us clothes, and within a few days helped our Dad to rent a temporary house.  A few months later our church helped us to finance a new home.  I could remember feeling loved and blessed even after losing so much.  The homeless man sitting in front of me, however, had no one to love and help him.  I could see the sadness and despair in his eyes.  I only had a few dollars left in my wallet but I didn’t hesitate.  I bent down and handed it to this fellow Child of God, talked with him, touched his hand, and wished him well before I left.

I have often wondered what happened to him over the years.  Did he make it off the streets? Did he die there?  I don’t know.  I do know that I was no better than he was, only more fortunate.

We are all equal in the eyes of Heaven.  It doesn’t matter the color of our skin, our gender, our education, or whether we live in a mansion or a card board box.  We are all children of God.

We need to give our love freely then to everyone everywhere.  We need to see all people as our brothers and sisters.  We need to live as one family, in one world, and make our Heavenly Father smile.

Previous Post

From Lost and Scared to Found and Loved

Next Post

Anna Elnora Legg Duffield

Join Our Newsletter

  • Subscribe
  • Contact Us
  • My Account
  • Clay Free Press e-Edition

© 2021 Mountain Media, LLC.

  • Login
  • Sign Up
  • Cart
No Result
View All Result
  • News
    • Local
    • Sports
    • Notices
    • Courthouse News
      • Booked
      • Magistrate News
  • Obituaries
  • Opinions
    • Can You Identify
    • Cook’s Corner
    • Echo From the Hills
    • Salt & Sonshine
    • The Baptist Classroom
  • Spiritual
    • Diocese of Wheeling-Charleston
    • Transcendental Meditation
    • Parabola
    • Southern Baptist
  • epress
  • State News
  • National News
  • Mountain Media, LLC
  • Contact Us
  • My Account
  • Login

© 2021 Mountain Media, LLC.

Welcome Back!

Login to your account below

Forgotten Password? Sign Up

Create New Account!

Fill the forms below to register

All fields are required. Log In

Retrieve your password

Please enter your username or email address to reset your password.

Log In

Forgot your password?

Lost your password? Please enter your email address. You will receive mail with link to set new password.

Back to login