Homemade Cookies for the Homeless
The brothers and sisters from Germany were involved in December doing Christmas-Seva by baking Christmas-cookies and distributing them to homeless people. They started with big enthusiasm as it was their first Seva doing something with food and moreover baking cookies together as a team.
It was a nice opportunity for them to learn many lessons. They understood the power of unity, the different abilities of different devotees, and they managed to dig out the hidden talent from some youth. They enjoyed this occasion by putting their body, mind and love into the process of baking cookies and having a wonderful Satsang.
Before the Seva, during the planning period, they had thought of making homeless people happy with self-made cookies. Later on they realised the happiness for themselves by coming together as a team and mutually supporting each other by doing what was appropriate and fun too.
In what way would the homeless people receive the cookies? How would they react? Nobody knew what these people went through. Nobody knew their history. Nobody knew why they have to live like this.
The people were friendly, once suspicious, seeing a group approaching in the dark. Most of them where happy about the little attention. It was just a drop of water on the hot stone, but anyway a humble gesture of humanity.
It gave a chance for the German brothers and sisters to improve their determination and teamwork by walking around the city and river during the night at minus degree temperatures with a chilling breeze. Some homeless people endure the cold by getting drunk.
Knowing in your mind that people live and sleep in this ice-cold weather is extreme, but experiencing it in the immediate vicinity was staggering for the youth. By seeing the small smile on the faces of the homeless they realised God in all and that it's possible to be happy being homeless too and not to think of pride.
Some youth were very impressed by the homeless, how hardened they are and how they manage to survive. Of course the homeless are not as coddled as youth are and not so distracted by trivialities.
Each time the young group were out in the cold for 20-30 minutes, they were happy to be back in the car again. Looking out of the window, they leave the homeless behind. They stay back in the cold and dark, while the youngsters are looking forward to a warm apartment, a hot meal and a warm bed! They have become more aware of what it means to be homeless in the winter. There are still many thoughts after this experience. Modesty and Gratitude arise when youth see what they have. But what can you already know after such a brief impression? Of course, homeless people have experiences that others will never have. And, some people are freezing from the outside, others from the inside. What is harder to bear? The view extends only to the surface.
May these people find their way back to a dignified and pleasant life.
May all the Beings in all the Worlds be happy.