But for the grace of God go I. I know not the details of their circumstances; what brought them to this place on their journey, but I do know it could easily be me in their situation. They are my brothers and sisters. We are no better, no greater, no wealthier than the most destitute among us; no luckier than the most unfortunate.
One of the many gifts of wisdom my dad imparted was our obligation to humanity. It is his belief, and one he passed to me, that it is our duty to show deep respect to everyone no matter their background, ethnicity, profession, job, name, education, race, religion, bank account... It’s not just the right thing to do, it’s the only thing to do. Be curious and quiet. Look into a person’s eyes and smile. Reach out to those who need a hand, pull them up, then lift them up.