I read this story on Facebook a few months back about a local resident who helped a homeless ex-con, and it reminded me that, no matter how bad my day gets, there is someone not as fortunate having a harder time.

Here is the story, copy/pasted directly from Facebook:

September 12, 2014

Worth your time to read! This happened to me at lunch today.

Today I had an interesting lunch. I was in a rush, so I went to a close-by McDonald's to be quick. As I was sitting and eating, an older black guy, Michael, was sitting at the the table next to me and started up a little conversation, talking about sports, and offered his newspaper to me to read. I spoke to him and hurried up to eat so I could get back to work.

A couple of ladies walked past and he spoke to them asking about a conversation he overheard with them about medicare and medicaid. The lady was telling him she was the lone survivor of Derrick Todd Lee (a serial rapist & murderer for folks not around here), and went a little into her story of what happened. Dianne Alexander is her name and at that point I was all ears and was into the conversation.

When Michael heard that part, he told us that he was paroled off a life sentence yesterday from Angola. He had served 39 years there and actually was the one to take meals to Derrick Todd Lee. The lady was emotional at that point and told more of what had happened and how she dealt with the event: how God had healed her wounds and allowed her to get past that point and even forgive Derrick Todd Lee for what he did to her. The lady has written a book about it all and it is called Divine Justice and she gave Michael a copy of the book. She signed it in red ink in front of him and said that’s for the blood of Jesus; then she hugged him then me and told us God Bless and was gone.

After the ladies left, Michael and I started talking more. He told me about his crime in New Orleans (around Bourbon Street) that landed him in prison, and how he turned himself in the next day. He was 23 when he went through those prison gates back in 1975. I told him I was 40 years old and he said "you were just 1 when I went away and your entire life I was locked up."

He said he was in a trustee type of position and he fed Camps J & K, J being the most restrictive level. He also said there are good people in there and there are some really bad people in there. Most never leave, and those 7 or 8 that have left in his 39 year period?  Well, he helped carry them out in a casket

Brandon Scott Lavergne (killed Mickey Shunick) was in one of the camps he took food to and they keep a muzzle on him cause he’s HIV + and likes to spit on anyone he actually does get around. He’s one of the bad people in there.

Michael said that he went to the parole board on August 3rd to see about a release, and it was granted. Yesterday they gave him some street clothes, one bus ticket to wherever he wanted, and two ham sandwiches. He wasn’t going back to New Orleans as he had nothing there anymore (his parents and grandparents are all dead), so he told them Lafayette.

I told Michael I had to get going because I was late getting back. He said I was calm and cool. It baffled me so I asked why so. He said "cause I told you I was Angola and you still sat here and talked with me."

As I was driving back to the office I had the urge to help the guy out so I stopped by an ATM, pulled out some cash for him and went back hoping he was still there. He was, reading the book he was given earlier. I gave him the money and told him to take care of himself. He choked up a little, shook my hand and thanked me.

Today, there was an update to the story, along with a picture of "Michael":

I saw Michael again today in the same McDonald's. He said had finished his chemo earlier. He's still homeless. He says the state is screwing him around, and he can't any assistance from the government until January. He said he was almost to the point he going to ask his parole officer to violate him so he can go back in.

He said "at least when I was in the pen I had my medicine, food and a place to sleep."

Michael (Facebook)
Michael (Facebook)
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We never know what the person seated in the restaurant next to us, or our co-worker, or the old lady in the front pew is going through.  It's good practice to always present kindness.  In everything you do, do it with kindness, as it might just make someone's day.

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