This morning as I was walking to catch the train to the clinic, I passed a disheveled-looking woman. She had streaks of makeup all over her face, wore random articles of clothing and had two mismatched house shoes on her feet. As she turned and spoke to me, I could see that she was missing the majority of her teeth, and the ones she did have were pretty discolored.

" 'Scuse me," she said, "Could you spare some change? I'm really hungry."

"I don't give out money," I said, "but I could buy you something to eat." So we walked to a little cafe and I found out her name is Cathy and that she's been homeless about a week.

"It's kicking my butt," she said. I wondered if she had been prostituting herself at night to make a little money, but I didn't really have the time (or the huevos) to ask.

At the cafe she ordered a beignet and some coffee and I helped her choose a cherry danish. As we waited for all her food and I said I was paying, the young lady behind the counter asked if I knew her (meaning Cathy).

"I do now," I said.

"So you just met her outside?" she asked.

I nodded.

"And you're buying her food? Oh wow," she said, and smiled really big at me.

I had to go right then, though, to be sure I'd catch my train. So I told Cathy that I had to get to work and ran off to the station.

"Bye, have a great day!" the lady behind the counter said.

And as I rode the train I wondered why the lady behind the counter should have been so surprised and awed by the fact that I bought Cathy some breakfast. Why was that such a surprise? Shouldn't that be the norm?

With all the "Christians" in this world, why doesn't that happen more often? Makes me think of a story I read in a book I stole from the shelter, Evensong:

Chief Drowning Bear (c. 1759-1839), who held his people firm to the old Cherokee religion in these mountains, once allowed a Christian missionary to read several chapters of the Bible to him. After the missionary had finished, Drowning Bear remarked thoughtfully, "It seems to be a good book--strange that the white people are not better, after having had it so long."

Isn't it, though?