Woman misses the last train home, but is helped by a homeless man: she reciprocates with a kind gesture
An old proverb says that "don't judge a book by it's cover" and this is very true. How many times - distracted by our commitments - do we not notice the needy people on the streets. We pass them by, as if they were invisible, perhaps distracted by something on our smartphone's screen, and without even reading the signs they display asking for help. Nicole Sedgebeer, a 21-year-old woman from the United Kingdom, understood this very well and hopes her story will help you linger for a moment when you encounter people in need.
via BBC
On an evening like any other, Nicole was on her way home when she missed the last train to her home. Stuck with no way home and on the verge of breaking down in tears, she was approached by a kind man named Mark, a homeless man. The man explained that it was not safe for her to stay at the station to wait for the train the next morning. So, he offered to show Nicole a safe and warm place to take shelter.
Mark took Nicole to a nearby bar that he knew was open 24 hours a day and escorted the young girl into the diner, because it "was too dangerous to walk to alone". On the way and inside the bar, the two chatted: "We ate something and he told me about his life. He had worked in the army and had been homeless for 12 years," Nicole said. After a while, Mark explained to the girl that he had to retrieve his sleeping bag and his few belongings, but that he would be back in time to take her to the station to catch the first available train. Nicole didn't put much stock into this promise and so, when it was time to go back to the station, she left the club. As she exited the diner, she saw Mark running towards her ready to accompany her: he had taken a bus to get back to her as soon as possible.
Amazed by his kindness, Nicole took a picture with Mark and posted their story on Facebook: "This man, who I probably would have avoided normally, changed my life," wrote Nicole. "P.S. This was Mark's first ever selfie!" she added. The post quickly went viral, garnering tens of thousands of shares. Additionally, the young woman felt indebted to Mark and she wanted to reciprocate his kind gesture.
After wondering how to reward Mark, Nicole created a fundraising webpage to help him and all the homeless people in London. "A homeless man's kind gesture is telling," she wrote on her page. "Mark embodies the best of humanity. He went out of his way to help me - a perfect stranger - when the reality of his situation is that people walk past him every day without offering him any help. Mark, you are a special man, I will never look down a homeless person anymore and I want to do something to help you and all the other homeless people in Euston," she concluded.
Nicole's goal was to raise £5,000 pounds, but the fund quickly exceeded £12,000 pounds! She donated this entirely to Mark and thanked the users for allowing her to help her new friend. "It's a great gift to see how many people have helped Mark, thank you so much," Nicole said.
