A strange phenomenon is happening right in front of our NightShift, Sisters and The Care Centre building these days. It appears I don’t have to look far for material for my blog posts. Remember some of my past posts? The incessant rain and the dancing red Maple Leaf took place in our driveway.
Earlier this month I had another one of those God moments.
As I backed out of the office parking lot, complaining as usual about the stream of oncoming traffic along the Boulevard, I noticed a man from the street bent over the hot pavement with a NightShift garbage can by his side. He worked alone. Not a soul in sight.
Curious, I paused my car and watched.
Focused on his job, he picked up cigarette butts, unsightly weeds, and bits of paper and debris and deposited them in the can.
I was humbled. I can’t honestly say I’d ever stoop down to clean a random parking lot.
Some misinformed folks claim that people on the street are lazy. Takers. Not givers. I beg to differ. Here’s a shining example of someone ‘giving back’ – a random act of kindness – that blessed not only my heart but also the ministry.
This man gets it! “It is more blessed to give than to receive” (Acts 20:25).
One random act of kindness!
No one noticed – except Papa and me. And now you.
MaryAnne Connor 
That’s awesome! Tonight (Friday the 26th) when I arrived at the NightShift office to get started preparing for the night there was another gentleman, another one of our street friend, gathering up cigarette butts with his foot and throwing them in the garbage! Same man or different man i’m not too sure but it was wonderful to see people caring enough to help keep the area tidy!
Almost every day I see someone around our building doing a ‘random act of kindness’. Picking up cigarette butts, sweeping debris, weeding and picking up garbage – all in the name of ‘Love’ & ‘Gratitude’. If only all of us could show our gratitude in some small way to the kindness that is extended to us by others in our daily walk. I often forget to say a ‘simple’ thank you. Imagine if all of us ‘shifted’ and conducted one ‘random act of kindness’ a day? It would blow our world as we know it! It would start the ripple of change – the ‘shift’ we’ve been talking about. I love to see our friends on the street leading by example. I wonder what Jesus thinks of this! 🙂